John Solomon, the new executive editor of The Washington Times, put out his “Seven Guiding Principles for The Washington Times Newsroom” this week, according to Editor & Publisher, vowing to “create the first truly converged news operation of the 21st century.” Among them:
Convergence: We must leapfrog over the industry’s incremental efforts to adapt to the demands of the digital marketplace and create the first truly converged news operation of the 21st century. That means creating a content stream that flows 24 hours, seven days a week through our Web and digital products. It means adapting our story telling to incorporate audio, video, interactivity and social networking. Our readers should be able to experience, engage and interact with the news and to take action if they so choose based on the information we provide them. It means reporters and editors must engage readers in a two-way dialog through blogging, forums and other Web tools to ensure our audiences develop a deeper understanding of the issues we cover and the ways we cover them. And it means we must pursue partnerships with other media to further the reach of our compelling journalism and to extend the shelf life of our best stories beyond the traditional 12-hour window of print journalism….
Innovation: The information marketplace of today demands that content providers relentlessly pursue new and innovative ways to convey information to audiences already awash in an endless stream of data. Every aspect of our daily tasks– design, presentation, assignment, writing, reporting, editing, audience engagement — must adapt to these demands so that our products take readers to the next great frontier of content. The Google empire was conceived in a college dorm room, and built in a suburban garage rented by college students. It is my hope that the Times newsroom will be the birthplace of many new exciting, market-grabbing strategies grown from your own spirit of creativity. This spirit of innovation must be augmented by a culture of continuous learning about our readership and the tools we have to engage them.
