The American Press Institute for several years ran a Table Stakes Local News Transformation Program for news organisations, working with them to tackle important challenges and manage continuous change.

From that work comes API’s new Digital Transformation Guide, which breaks down a series of themes key to transformation — product thinking, revenue, engaged journalism, collaboration, and managing change.

All are worth exploring in the guide, but I’ll focus on engaged journalism and managing change for this piece as they align most closely with newsroom transformation.

Emily Ristow, director of journalism strategy for API, said the goal of the guide is “to highlight replicable strategies that we know will be successful in local news, putting them in the context of the larger industry; share specific examples of success with these strategies through bite-sized case studies; and leave readers with interactive resources like worksheets and checklists to help them begin to apply these strategies immediately in their organisations.”

Practicing engaged journalism

“Engaged journalism is an inclusive practice that prioritises the information needs and wants of the community members it serves, creates collaborative space for the audience in all aspects of the journalistic process, and is dedicated to building and preserving trusting relationships between journalists and the public,” says Lindsay Green-Barber of Impact Architects.

In other words, better listening to your audience and delivering what they want. Yet many news organisations aren’t there yet. I asked Ristow why she thinks that is.

“I think getting buy-in for engaged journalism can be difficult for several reasons,” she said. 

Among them: “It likely requires a mindset shift and your organisation rethinking some of its fundamental processes — how are you deciding what’s newsworthy, how are you establishing community listening practices, how are you creating collaborative spaces with your audience, and how are you offering opportunities for feedback and acting on what you learn? One organisation featured in the report, The Kansas City Star, described engaged journalism as like making your community your assigning editor. That description demonstrates well the kind of shift that’s necessary.”

Putting your audience first, Ristow said, is shifting your thinking from, “We know best because we are the journalism experts,” to “What are we hearing and learning from our community about how we can best serve them? It speaks to the importance of engaged journalism.”

Managing people through change

This is a topic we discuss regularly in the Newsroom Transformation Initiative, and I appreciate the Table Stakes’ usage of the Formula for Change developed by Eric Abramson of Columbia Business School:

                                             Change = D x V x P

• D is the dissatisfaction with the current state (this dissatisfaction or motivation, for a more positive spin, is unique to each person — as a leader, your dissatisfaction may not be the same as your team members’).

• V is a clear, shared vision of the future.

• P is a process that provides a way forward and clears obstacles.

Where do leaders often get stuck in this process? 

“I think most individuals — and therefore most teams, depending on their makeup — naturally lean toward being stronger in vision (big ideas) or process (detail-oriented),” Ristow said. “Most people and teams can identify which part they’re weaker on and find a system for balancing things out once they realise how critical both elements are for implementing lasting change.

“The sticking point for most people is this idea of dissatisfaction because it has to be others’ dissatisfaction, not your own. That dissatisfaction is going to vary from person to person, depending on their role within the organisation, their tenure there and their values, among other reasons. Some leaders won’t take the time to truly listen to others and to try to understand this from multiple perspectives. Others might find it difficult to accept what they’re hearing — that dissatisfaction could be with leadership, for example, or with industry factors outside their control. 

“It can sometimes be helpful for people to put a more positive spin on dissatisfaction and think about how they can tap into people’s motivations or provide hope in contrast to those dissatisfactions.” 

Check out the Digital Transformation Guide. Ristow recommends diving into whatever strategy you’re most drawn to as a starting point — acquaint yourself with the tactics in that section and pick one to try first, using the resources in the “try this” section.

If you’d like to subscribe to my bi-weekly newsletter, INMA members can do so here.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .