Ten news publishers across Asia will be able to speed up the transformation of their newsrooms to ensure they are both audience-centered, and sustainable, thanks to a new partnership between WAN-IFRA and Facebook.
The Newsroom Transformation Programme 2020, launched on 29 October 2019 at Digital Media Asia 2019, will provide intensive coaching, training and mentoring over six months to mid-level editorial and commercial participants. The participants will be drawn from the ten mid-sized news organizations which are selected from applications by WAN-IFRA members in the region. A formal call for applicants will go out next week.
Announcing the new initiative, Thomas Jacob, chief operating officer of WAN-FRA said, “All over the world, newsrooms are having to transform to stay relevant and sustainable. We are delighted that through this partnership with Facebook, we can be a catalyst and help our members develop the skills and generate ideas to move their newsrooms and products to the next level.”
The four-themed program will support participants in understanding waves of disruption to news media. It will equip them to plan, lead and manage transformation while building a culture of innovation in the newsroom. Developing an editorial vision for the news organization and a content portfolio that supports the needs of different revenue streams. Participants will also learn to define target audiences and planning audience development for acquisition, activation, engagement and retention. It will focus on new product development in cooperation with relevant parts of the organization. They will also learn to identify the new operational skills and capabilities needed to deliver the editorial strategy. It will equip participants to plan new workflows and adjust newsroom resources to execute a new strategy.
“Facebook is thrilled to bring this opportunity to news organizations across Asia as part of our joint commitment to ensure traditional news outlets can create thriving digital businesses. We are proud to partner with WAN-IFRA to bring the Newsroom Transformation Programme 2020 and continue our commitment to support the news publisher community in the Asia Pacific,” said Anjali Kapoor, director of news Partnerships Facebook APAC.
The program will include workshops, online coaching and support. It will be led by George Brock and Grzegorz ‘Greg’ Piecchota. Both have an extensive newsroom, academic and consulting credentials.
