Notes from JournCamp: Keep your eye on where the “puck” is going to be, not where it is
On November 8, I attended “JournCamp,” a traveling program run by the Society of Professional Journalists. The program was held at Florida International University, and I was joined in attendance by a couple dozen journalists from all over the state of Florida—other sportswriters, war correspondents, radio and TV media, authors, etc. While there were a number of breakout sessions, the highlight of the day was the keynote speech, titled: “Rapidly Changing News Media Landscape: Where the ‘Hockey Puck’ is Headed.” It was presented by Michael Bolden of The Knight Foundation.
Here’s a Storify I created with tweets from the event.
The Knight Foundation makes the future of journalism its mission, saying on its About page: “Our goal at Knight Foundation is to preserve the best aspects of journalism and use innovation to expand the impact of information in the digital age. ” Bolden is no stranger to traditional media at a high level, either, having spent years at the Miami Herald and Washington Post. He’s seen where journalism has been, and he’s on the forefront of figuring out where it goes next.
One of the first things Bolden said was that the one thing that isn’t changing about journalism is the “why” component. The Knight Foundation believes that—again from the About page—”democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged,” and Bolden used a variation of that phrase a dozen times in his hour-long speech.
From the “why” of journalism, Bolden quickly pivoted to the “what.”
“Journalists are storytellers,” he said, “and evolving technology makes us better storytellers.” He seemed perplexed, even annoyed, that some journalists resist change, saying: “Thinking digitally can save us, but too many journalists resist it,” and “Embrace new technology … experiment, experiment, experiment.”
He told an anecdote from his time at the Post when he test drove an iPad for the first time. At the time, he told his colleagues, “Your flying car is here,” but he also expressed remorse that there are still journalists (including those at the Post) that not only don’t use tools like the iPad, but couldn’t care less how their stories are presented on them or on mobile.
The Knight Foundation spends millions upon millions of dollars every year to fund research into new technologies that could help the cause of journalism—everything from teaching young kids to code to one day funding the very apps they create. Maybe it’s a website with a clear goal and a noble purpose, or maybe it’s just a place willing to look at news in a different way than it’s been looked at for hundreds of years.
“If you’re just using today’s technology, you’re already behind,” Bolden said. That’s the sentiment being expressed in the title of his speech, a reference to the famous aphorism attributed to Wayne Gretzky and cited often in discussions of fast-changing industries: “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.”
Bolden took it a step further: “You’re neglecting your role as a news leader if you’re not trying new things.” He would go on to say something very similar about the imperative for all journalists to be on social media.
Not to completely toot our own horn over here at Bleacher Report and the B/R Blog, but a lot of this was preaching to the choir for yours truly—more of a pep rally than a learning session. B/R editors have pushed me to be on the forefront of social media, data gathering and various other technologies since I began here. Many of these same sermons have appeared right here in this space.
Where is the hockey puck headed? We can’t know for certain, but you better be paying attention. This business has no room for people who can’t keep up with the play.
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Michael Schottey is an NFL National Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.