Convergence - the final frontier
To the Emirates stadium today for a
government think-tank session on digital convergence. Today's - rather grandly titled "What is Convergence?" - is the first in a series of events where Whitehall will apparently attempt to piece together some sort of coherent government overview on the mysterious future of the digital world.
Many of the great and the good from the media, hi-tech industry and academia were in attendance, with representatives from the Beeb, ITV, Orange, AOL, Five, Channel 4, the CBI, Guardian, Newspaper Society, Sky, O2...etc
Andy Burnham MP, the recently appointed Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport kicked off proceedings with the usual Nu-Labour speak about the importance of "open markets", diversity and putting consumers in charge etc. According to Mr Burnham, it was important that the think tank wasn't just seen as "insiders talking to insiders" and stressed the importance of including young people in the debate.
A surreptitious glance round the room confirmed there was no-one there under the age of 30, so quite where the input of the "born digital" generation will come from is anybody’s guess, a point picked up by the platform.
Oh, and the findings of the think tank "might or might not" form part of new legislation...my guess is that it probably wont unless Murdoch wants some more favours.
First up in the panel session was the chief executive of Ofcom Ed Richards. He felt that the changes brought about by convergence will bring "disruption" - not only to the media industry but to consumers as the wider media tries to adapt to the digital future. Of course, most NUJ reps would argue that this has been going on across the media for years already, with many hard-working journalists trying to make the best of hair-brained and ill-thought-through schemes to move into the online world drawn up by starry-eyed bosses who don't fully understand the technology...
BBC Director General Mark Thompson spoke about the success of the new
iplayer application, with more than two million users since the launch on Christmas Day 2007. However, while evangelising about the brave new world, Thompson also defended radio broadcasting as being central to BBC output and also stressed the need for "outstanding content" as central to digital delivery...
Neil Berkett from Virgin Media told the group that, last Sunday, his broadband customers had downloaded the equivalent of 313 million MP3 tracks in data. Sunday is apparently the busiest day for downloads. (Thus confirming that most UK broadband users are now finally learning to switch off Last of the Summer Wine and instead go on You Tube to rerun that video of
Star Wars Kid...)
Marc Overton of Orange moaned about how relatively cheap fixed term broadband was for consumers in comparison to the actual cost of providing the service and support. Damn us savvy customers for going for the cheapest deals! Presumably Orange will either be upping their prices or pulling out of the broadband market. It could be the latter - as Marc predicted that, at an indeterminate point in the future, there would only be three broadband providers for the UK - most likely BT, Virgin and Sky...
He also, rather depressingly, spoke about the popularity of the
"Buff or Rough" feature on the Orange website as being one of their most popular developments. (Maybe they hadn't been around during the height of the
"Am I Hot Or Not" craze all those years ago...)
The most lucid contribution of the day came from Nick Bertolotti - Investment Fund Managing Director from Credit Suisse. He effectively said what we had all suspected - that the city was "scared of convergence" and that the UK was already "behind the curve". Brands were less important in the online sphere and the established large media companies were under threat from smaller companies, therefore threatening investment etc.
His advice to the media bosses? "Build up the brand. Build up the content side." Ironic that it should be the most overt profiteer on the platform that comes out with what the NUJ has been saying for years about media companies investing in good quality content...
The best contribution of the day came from the floor - Jackie Devereux of the
Community Media Association. She picked up on the theme that had come from the platform all morning - that the "individual" was key to the convergence debate. She challenged the notion that the "born digital" generation (anyone under 23) would forevermore be locked away alone in darkened rooms in front of a screen addicted to the net, noting that peoples priorities change as they get older and we don't all stay aged 16 for ever. Amen.
She also pointed out that just because we could now individualise our media consumption, this would not alter the fact that families would sit down and watch a TV show together...a refreshing antidote to the prevalent idea of the day that we would all become anti-social slaves to our handheld devices in years to come.
Finally exposing the elephant that had sat conspicuously in the corner all morning, Devereux made the most valid point of the day that the digital divide is still huge, with almost 50% of children at some inner city schools not having access to a computer at home, along with the scant availability of quality broadband services in poor areas...one for the powers that be to ponder as they attempt to make sense of the rapidly changing digital environment.
I managed to make the NUJ positions during the "break out" discussion group about the very real dangers facing existing media, particularly for local paper staff and freelances, because of the rush online and the need to train all journalists to work across platforms. I also banged the drum for quality content - and the need for all online news content to be managed and produced by experienced and trained professionals. Whether or not these points are taken into the "final cut", remains to be seen.
Labels: convergence, journalism, journalists, multimedia, national union of journalists
NUJ publishes multimedia report
The long-awaited report of the NUJ's Commission on Multimedia Working, established to investigate the implications of media convergence, has found widespread concern about the impact of new media working on journalistic standards. Three members of the Commission are also members of the union's New Media Industrial Council.
The report, called Shaping the Future, follows months of consultation with journalists working across the industry. It finds that the significant sums that have been spent on new technology haven't been matched by investment in journalism.
The document welcomes the possibilities offered by the internet and media convergence, highlighting their potential to engage new audiences in lively and high quality journalism. However, it also finds that many journalists are worried about the impact they will have on their professional standards.
The report includes numerous examples provided by journalists dealing with these technologies everyday. Trends include demands to produce more content for more outlets without the provision of any extra journalistic resources, which is often felt to have a detrimental effect on quality.
Read the report on the NUJ's redesigned website. Labels: internet, journalism, journalists, multimedia, national union of journalists, nuj, stand up for journalism
My article in The Journalist and the subsequent controversy
A little article I wrote for the NUJ's magazine, The Journalist, railing at how the philosophy of Web 2.0 is being used to attack professional journalism -
reposted on my blog - elicited a response in
the Telegraph's blogs.
The magazine contained more articles, drawn from a report I'm involved in preparing on the impact the way some media outlets are using new technology is having on journalism and journalists. Some of the details are here in
the Press Gazette blog.
There's been a a little bit of controversy kicked up by this, with some frankly rather odd reactions. Jeff Jarvis
tried to be funny and then followed-up with
a more considered response.
The Torygraph followed up slagging me off with a
go at the rest of the articles and then Roy Greenslade
made a grand announcement.
So there we go - a nice big debate about the issues, which is a good thing. So what do you think?
Update:
here's another one .
More updates:
Some Silicon Valley oiks get their facts wrong (I'm neither particularly old, a hack nor a Limey - there's a clue in my name)
Shane Richmond strikes againGreenslade needs the weekend,
his City University colleague jumps in and, finally so far,
we've someone missing the point (seeing as the whole point of the Multimedia Commission is to "equip our members to embrace it").
And the Podcast:
The Guardian interviewed me about this story - and then people discussed what I said, though I'm not sure they really got the point.
Even more, this time some more considered pieces looking at the issues involved:
Journalism and the articulate commonsWhat is Wrong with the Tech Journalism
and then there's this one:
Hands up those who think Web 2.0 is rubbish!.
Latest:
Now It’s Your Turn Journalist.
And it goes on:
Let's have a real debate about Web 2.0Still going: more of the NUJ debate
The NUJ and me: a considered responseIs the Web as weak as its weakest link?Stand up for kremlinology and groupthinkNight Of The Blunt Nibs
Facing the reality of new mediaAnother audio appearance from me, this time on late night
BBC 5 Live and the subsequent podcast.
And over on our sister site, nujnewmedia.org.uk -
Much Ado About Not Very MuchEven more updates:
More Jeff Jarvis:
In olde LondonLeaving the unionMore Neil McIntosh:
Five things the NUJ could do to engage with the webNUJ and new media: the trouble is, they just don’t know what’s going onMore Shane Richmond:
Still going: more of the NUJ debatePaul Bradshaw:
The NUJ fuss - now I’m spittingJoanna Geary:
Bedtime reading for the NUJ...Reportr.net:
Does the NUJ understand the internet?And apparently
the Internet's own personal blogLatest:
A considered and interesting look at the issue from
the University of Bedford's New Media Research Group, contrasting with
this from the PBS in the US.
Labels: jeff jarvis, journalism, journalists, nuj, roy greenslade, web 2.0
A date for your diaries
Take note: 26 July 2007, 7pm at the
Yorkshire Grey pub, Holborn, London.
London Central Branch is putting on a recruitment social event, so, if you work in new media or do you have friends or colleagues who work in new media and like having a drink in good company in comfortable surroundings - please come along.
The event will provide NUJ members an opportunity to meet colleagues from other companies and parts of the sector. It's also designed to be a recruitment event, so if you know anyone who could be an NUJ member but has so far been resistant (or possibly not even asked), bring them along for a couple of
free drinks (while stocks last).
You've got some time, so think about it a bit. Does your company work with a web design agency? Are there freelancers writing for the website who no-one ever sees? Or even amongst your employees - designers, page coders, video/audio content producers - all are eligible for NUJ membership. So invite 'em all along and let's boost the sector.
Labels: designers, journalists, newmedia, nuj, socialevents, website
Multi-media Commission take-off
Last Saturday (5 May), the NUJ launched its Commission on Multi-Media Working with a one-day event at the Headland House HQ in London. There was testimony from people in all sectors of the union, national and regional newspapers, the BBC, the Irish Times website (the first newspaper to go online in the UK and Ireland way back in '94), yours truly for the NEC and NMIC Chair Jemima Kiss addressing the positive sides of new media.
The event presented a snap-shot of the situation the Commission is tasked with drawing together in a major report, due in four months. NMIC is well represented on the Commission, with Jemima, Gary Herman and me along with Helen Mulholland from the Guardian and Paula Dear from the BBC adding more online experience.
Read more:
http://www.nuj.org.uk/inner.php?docid=1740Labels: journalism, journalists, multimedia, newspapers, NMIC, nuj, online, web
