Burt Herman
co-founder Hacks/Hackers
Robert Hernandez
Online News Association
Paul Lewis
head of investigations The Guardian
Justin Peters
Slate
This year marks the Columbia Journalism Review's 50th anniversary, and in the anniversary issue CJR online editor Justin Peters edited a section that looked ahead to the next fifty years of news. Near the end of that section, he tried to articulate a coherent philosophy for how news organizations could help ensure their continued relevance by embracing the principles of the open web. Four panels will be held at the festival to expand on four key points in the essay, principles that news organizations ought to embrace if they are to fully realize the potential of the digital news revolution: collaboration, experimentation, education and moderation/participation.
The future of news: experimentation
News organizations can't let comment sections and Facebook integration be the extent of their digital innovation strategies. Rather, they need to take a cue from all the individual actors who are experimenting with news - building databases or analytical tools, writing programs that might have some news application, pursuing one-off projects designed to last for the lifespan of the event they were was created to analyze and record. The panel will consider ways that news organizations can encourage and promote these efforts, in short how to foster an R&D mentality rather than a bunker mentality.
Organised in association with Columbia Journalism Review