This session will provide a high level overview of headline testing in the digital newsroom, including:
- How do you go about implementing a headline testing solution?
- What type of news destination should adopt a headline testing strategy?
- How do both the journalist and editor benefit from headline testing?
- What are the outcomes that you should expect from investing in headline testing?
Dennis R. Mortensen, founder and CEO of Visual Revenue Inc., will lead this unconference. He also sits on the Board of the Digital Analytics Association.
Once upon a time, the jobs in journalism were all at what we would consider traditional outlets — Time, Newsweek, ABC News, the Washington Post, etc. But these days, journalists who’ve had their pick of those publications are flocking to tech companies like Tumblr, Facebook and Twitter to create stories — content that competes, in breadth and scope, with the highest-caliber traditional publications. As print suffers a slow and painful decline, it’s not just the web that’s changing journalism as we know it — it’s tech companies like Tumblr and Facebook who are launching what could be the new new media movement. But what does this mean for the future of traditional journalistic outlets? Can a journalist remain objective when she’s employed by a company? Are journalists’ future homes in places that aren’t primarily about journalism, and should it be?
Panelists:
Jessica Bennett, Executive Editor, Tumblr
Xana O’Neill, Managing Editor, WNYC.org
Allie Townsend, editor at Facebook
Most importantly, how do we make sure that, when giving people multiple entry points to a story so they can make their own discoveries, they still get something out of it? How do we provide guidance through storytelling without creating an absolute monarchy?
It’s a problem I wrestle with every day, and I’m willing to bet I’m not the only one. This is a question that affects the very core of how we do our jobs, today, next week and in decades to come.
Thinking about these kinds of issues in one’s dreams can’t be healthy. But if we talk it through and work together, maybe we’ll all sleep a bit better at night. And even change the industry while we’re at it.
Michelle Minkoff is part of AP’s Interactives department.
Video storytelling is changing rapidly, with all sorts of tools and techniques: from high-definition smart phones and Go Pros, to data visualization. More of a conversation than presentation, let’s get together and share some of the cool ways we’re using video to tell stories.
I’ll have some examples to share, but mostly am looking forward to learning what others are doing. Come bring some links and lets inspire each other!
Andrew Satter is the Sr. Video/Multimedia Producer at the Center for American Progress in DC.
