Don't do more with less, do different forms of journalism

Fascinating insight into Kevin Anderson’s first few months back in a newsroom:

When I landed in my new job as executive editor of two newspapers in Wisconsin, I had to prioritise what I would do, and to be honest, I didn’t think I would really be able to start my community platform strategy for months, possibly not until the autumn. But then my communities surprised me. Many people I met said they wanted more from the newspaper. I was honest with them and told them that they wanted the same thing I wanted, a vibrant newspaper. To achieve that, I told them I would need their help, and I was concrete on how they could help.

Kevin is a smart chap (and a friend), and what he realises very clearly is that the solution to the problems afflicting local media is not to “do more with less” as so many journalists characterise it, but to do different things.

And doing different things requires letting go of some of the old things you used to do. Many journalists seem to find that hard, so what you really need is strong, intelligent leadership from the top. Looks like Kevin’s providing that. It’s good to see a genuine digital innovator like him leading a newsroom again.