New Survey to Examine State of Technology in Global Newsrooms

By: Maite Fernandez | 07/13/2016

Washington, D.C. - The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) announces that it will conduct the first global survey on the adoption of new technologies in news media. While the disruptions in today’s newsrooms have been widely chronicled, this study will focus on a missing link: how journalists worldwide are embracing technology.

This unique report, called the State of Technology in Global Newsrooms, will illuminate how media professionals capitalize on the digital revolution. Storyful is providing generous support for the survey, to be conducted in seven languages. Storyful is the global leader in discovering, verifying and acquiring the rights to user-generated content and stories for news organizations worldwide.

“Technology is at the heart of Storyful and essential to the way news is gathered and reported today,” said Rahul Chopra, CEO of Storyful. “We’re excited to partner with ICFJ to understand how newsrooms around the world are using technology and evolving to meet the demands of today’s media environment.”

This study will provide media professionals with practical data on tech-driven journalism. It aims to answer key questions such as: How are journalists harnessing social media to tell stories? What interactive tools are they using to improve their reporting? How are newsrooms leveraging data? What structural changes are newsrooms undergoing to keep up with digital innovation?

The rigorous survey will benefit media players globally by:

  • Providing news organizations and technologists with hard data on how technology is being harnessed by journalists and newsrooms;
  • Highlighting the emergence of new roles, structures, and hiring practices in newsrooms as they adapt to the digital era;
  • Examining the specific roles technology is playing in newsroom operations from workflows to distribution to storytelling and audience engagement;
  • Identifying gaps in access to and use of technology in specific countries, newsrooms and among journalists.

“This study will be an extremely useful resource for journalists and media organizations as we navigate through this transformative period,” said ICFJ President Joyce Barnathan.

ICFJ is working with Georgetown University’s Communication, Culture and Technology program to administer the survey to journalists and media managers in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. Through its International Journalists’ Network (IJNet.org), ICFJ has unique access to newsrooms and journalists worldwide. ICFJ will crowdsource global participation in the survey for as robust a response as possible.

SurveyMonkey, the leading online survey platform, will provide technical support and methodological expertise.

“We are thrilled to contribute to this pioneering initiative that will benefit journalists worldwide,” said Jon Cohen, Chief Research Officer of SurveyMonkey.

ICFJ will form an advisory committee of select media representatives to assist. The committee members will be announced shortly.

About ICFJ

The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) is at the forefront of the news revolution. Our programs empower journalists and engage citizens with new technologies and best practices. ICFJ’s networks of reporters and media entrepreneurs are transforming the field. We believe that better journalism leads to better lives. Since 1984, ICFJ has worked with more than 92,000 professional and citizen journalists and media managers from 180 countries.

Contact: Maite Fernandez, Communications Director, 202-349-7636 or mfernandez@icfj.org.

About Storyful

Storyful, a subsidiary of News Corp (NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV), is the global leader in social content, helping publishers leverage the latest relevant stories on social media. Storyful combines world-class journalism with industry-leading technology to discover, verify and acquire original content and provide the on-the-ground sources partners need to tell the stories that matter to their audience.

Contact: Michael Hess, Head of Marketing, michael.hess@storyful.com.

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