ICM Interview: Howard Owens
January 15th, 2007 by BryanEditor’s Note: Howard Owens is the Director of Digital Publishing at Gatehouse Media, Inc. He’s a long-time web journalist. You can read his LinkedIn profile to see that he’s got the pedigree to speak about this “new” media stuff. He also writes a weblog about new media: Media Blog. It was both an honor and a pleasure to interview him for ICM. The interview was conducted Friday, Jan. 12, via IM.
ICM: first, tell us a little about what you’re doing for Gatehouse in your (relatively) new position.
Owens: Short form is, I’m overseeing digital content. Basically, I set policy and strategy for anything related to content on the web, and other digital platforms as they emerge, this includes web site design and structure, as well as citizen journalism, multimedia and publishing strategies.
ICM: How are the journalists in the Gatehouse papers adapting to the digital platform? Successes and struggles?
Owens: In any newspaper company, you’re going to have your challenges, and we have the additional challenge of starting with sites that are really less than zero, and we’re growing really fast, with no pre-exististing corporate infrastructure in place, so it’s a lot of work, and we sometimes move more quickly than some people might be comfortable with, but entirely out of necessity.
That said, I’m pretty blown away by the degree of eagerness and acceptance we’re getting from throughout GHS. My preconceived notion when I took this job was that, “oh, a bunch of small papers. It’s going to be a big uphill battle to get things more webcentric,” but actually, there is far less (by orders of magnitude) resistance here than any newspaper I know about. For a lot of people, we just simply can’t move quick enough. A large swath of people are concerned that we’re not moving fast enough, and they’re probably right. But we’re moving as fast as we can.
ICM: Just as an overview, what are some of the things you are attempting to do in these papers that might be adaptable to other situations like college media?
Owens: Of course, a fair question might be, what can we learn from college media, especially about appealing to a younger audience, and filling a niche? But I think there are things that might be universal.
Web-first publishing � publish quickly and often, everything you know that might be of interest to your audience, and on print deadline, pick the bet of what you published online, maybe (if needed) flesh it out a bit and print it.Second, think like bloggers, everything published on the web: write in an authentic voice, be real, be honest, be transparent. Related to web first publishing, publish what you know, don’t wait for for the perfect fact or quote to make your story.Third: multimedia, especially video, is critical to engaging an audience. Create video that is highly watchable, fun, authentic, interesting, well thought out to the context of how it’s being used. That applies to both pro and college media, I think. I should add, it doesn’t address the issues around UGC (user-generated content), but they are relative easy for existing media to capture.
ICM: Which leads a little bit into my next question … The online media universe has been changing dramatically over the last two years. What parts of that change do you think are most crucial for student journalists to comprehend?
Owens: Blogging and video. I don’t think many people grasp how much we can learn from blogging about how the way people consume information is changing. Those wrapped up in the Packaged Goods Media paradigm only see the so-called pajama media, and aren’t paying attention to what the real attraction to blogging is: authenticity of voice, relevance of subject, frequency of publishing, ease of consumption.
And then with video, a lot of the same applies, but visually, which has it’s own draw and engagement.
ICM: Taking those ideals from blogging and video, then, how can those be added to the skill set students are cultivating while working in student media. Maybe some tips on how students can get started here.
Owens: Blog. Shoot and edit video. But mainly, blog.
Every student journalist should spend at least six months totally immersed in blogging. Start a blog and try to draw an audience. Do the things that bloggers need to do, read other blogs, create a blog roll, link to other blogs, post frequently on topics relevant to the audience you’re trying to reach (and read those blogs in that category), comment on other blogs. Learn to be a participant. That’s my advice to pro journalists, too: if you want to learn this culture, become a participant in it. It will totally change the way you think about media and online publishing.
Also, I think today’s journalist needs to have more business literacy than they normally do. On my site you can find a post about five books journalists should read, just a place to start and understand better the business environment. Journalists today are at the vanguard of creating 21st Century journalism, and they can’t really be fully relevant to that process if they don’t understand the competitive environment as its changing.
ICM: so the aspects of engaging the community - through learning to blog - are more essential to learn than the technical aspects of the video side?
Owens: I think you’ll make better video for the web if you understand the web.
ICM: Now to turn that around to the organization point of view, how can student media organizations (student newspapers, tv stations) better adapt to the web? what can advisers - managers - do to help?
Owens: One of my big concerns about j-school professors today is that many of them don’t get the web. You blog, but how many others do? How many have done anything to participate in the participant culture, even so much as be a regular on a message board or mailing list?
So, again, you’ve got to understand to teach. You can’t just read about it in a book. Of course, I have no numbers to know if my perception is accurate or not, but I’ve run into so many recent J-school grads who seem intent on protecting old-school journalism, or worse, would rather write for print than web.
Educators who get the web, and get what needs to be done can communicate with some authority. I know some have required students to blog. They should make sure that student publication policies reflect the three prime strategic initiatives I outlined above. Students and faculty should just assume their future is online, and design curriculum and publication efforts accordingly … be even more dismissive of print than mainstream pubs are right now.
ICM: Some would argue that student media is in an enviable position, in that their audience isn’t eroding as the trad media audience is. What would be the key arguments *for* taking the approach you mentioned above?
Owens: Is the job of J-school to protect j-school journalism or prepare students to enter the for-profit world of modern journalism? I mean, if the goal is to protect current business models, then by all means … why even have a web site?
But if the job is to prepare students to be tomorrow’s journalist, then the whole program needs to be exploded with no concern for revenue streams and invent the media organization of five years from now.
ICM: You mentioned above, and on your weblog that you see a lot of newly minted journalism grads who still have a “print-centric” attitude. What do you think can be done on a college level to change that attitude? Anything? Beyond new j-profs?
Owens: I’ve got to believe, though maybe I’m wrong, that either their HS teachers, or college profs are the biggest influence in this thinking. Or if students are just attracted to journalism because they once watched Lou Grant, then those teachers need to correct some of their magical thinking about journalism, and frankly, I believe, that if you’re turned onto journalism because of the romantic myths of journalism (the crusading, typewriter wielding savior of all things civic and good, etc., and getting the scoop, and making a difference), there hasn’t been a better time since the early part of last century to be a journalist. I think these are exciting times, a chance to be at the vanguard of creating journalism for a new era, and in a far more competitive environment than most journalists have known over the past 30 to 50 years.
January 15th, 2007 at 9:03 am
[…] A nice interview with Howard Owens from Bryan over at the Center for Innovation in College Media. Covers a lot of stuff relating to the issues discussed over the last few posts. Bookmark to: […]
January 15th, 2007 at 9:22 am
[…] Bryan Murley was kind to interview me for his Innovation in College Media blog. You can read it here. Share and Enjoy:These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. […]
January 15th, 2007 at 12:14 pm
[…] In this wide-ranging interview with Bryan Murley of Innovation in College Media, Gatehouse Media’s Howard Owens points out what I battle through in conversations with both journalism school faculty and students over and over again: ICM: Which leads a little bit into my next question … The online media universe has been changing dramatically over the last two years. What parts of that change do you think are most crucial for student journalists to comprehend? […]
January 15th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
Howard and I shot stares at each other at a worn down pizza joint, and later shook hands at a coffeehouse. He’s said great words about my blog, and I don’t think he would have made such nice remarks if he didn’t believe in the power of one Bakersfield blog in the new mix of Bakersfield online blogs…
His understanding comes from a deep-rooted knowledge and vision of online media.
Journalism kids these days? They should want to be in the first wave to type up content that’s beaming into iPhone news feeds, that are just around the corner… Sure, you can get news feeds now. But the ease-of-use is coming…
N.
January 15th, 2007 at 3:38 pm
I think student media needs to change and put its foot forward into the digital publishing world more firmly than it currently is. I’m Assistant Editor of our student newspaper at the University of Central Lancashire, Pluto, and we now have an online presence but we have very little support for what we’re doing.
We started www.pluto-online.com with a very small budget and resources and it’s difficult to do much more than shovelware. Yet, as you said in the article, we’ve got an audience that are ready for new media, video, blogs, podcasts, it’s what this generation is doing and student media could really tap into that and create some very strong web communities based around that.
But sadly, student media isn’t really, or student unions for that matter, run by students anymore. It’s more of a business now than it has ever been. Yet a significant online presence for most student newspapers could actually improve their business models.
January 16th, 2007 at 10:51 am
Great interview, Bryan! Howard Owens just set a blueprint for advisers to follow, along with a challenge to change our way of thinking about traditional journalism programs.
We just finished a program review and decided to take a one-credit college publications class and transform it to a new media technologies class. The students will learn to blog and produce audio, video and SoundSlides stories as well as web-first publishing.
This semester, we’re also adding several blogs through our Web site (College Publisher can add a template for you).
Granted, we’re a community college and can move a bit quicker to redesign curriculum, but we also have limited resources, ie., one j-instructor position and one adviser. If we can do it, anyone can.
Christina Drain
Pensacola Junior College
www.ecorsair.com
January 16th, 2007 at 11:02 am
[…] I know I’m a day late, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the fine interview between ICM’s Bryan Murley and Gatehouse Media’s Howard Owens on what might happen to our young journalists if colleges don’t shape up quick. Also, be sure to catch the first part of Bryan’s piece with WashingtonPost.com’s Rob Curley. […]
January 16th, 2007 at 12:18 pm
When I entered journalism in high school, I used a manual typewriter. In my last full-time newspaper job, I used a PC. I’m typing this on my laptop and sending it through a high-speed Internet connection. During my more than 30 years as a student and professional journalist, technology changed dramatically.
My job stayed the same: I had to interview people, search through records and write the news. My articles had to be accurate, fair, timely and well written.
You wouldn’t know that reading interviews with such people as Howard Owen. Yes, students and their instructors have to learn how to use new media, just as photographers had to learn to use digital cameras and my editing colleagues and I had to learn to use computers.
We need to remember though:
That to write in “an authentic voice, be real, be honest, be transparent” is not a blog thing. It’s a journalism thing. Indeed, one should “publish what you know,” staying away from rumors and conjecture. Just remember, what you “know” to be right at 2 p.m. may be wrong at 2:30 p.m. as more information becomes available. A rush to publish can be wrongheaded. Eventually you have to put the info out there, but journalists can’t afford to be wrong regardless of whether the media is old or new.
Blogs, podcasts, Web pages, video streams, message boards, etc. are all useful tools. But you still have to teach people how to gather the news accurately, whether it means going door-to-door to interview sources or using a computer to search through documents. Learning the basics of journalism seems to get lost in too many conversations about the Web’s wow factors.
The core business of journalism remains news. The other stuff, like a cereal box, is the package that holds the product.
January 16th, 2007 at 12:20 pm
If I were a kid wanting to learn to blog I would follow Howard’s advice. Blog a lot, blog often, blog hard news, just get what you know into words… think about it–if you get the story wrong, a fresher version filled with updates will potentially fill the comments section in an online discussion.
Just yesterday there were 2 fires within a block of me. I could have easily blogged about those fires, then created fliers and passed them out in my own neighborhood. Most people have computers these days. They want to read about their own community.
Journalism kids could create an instant following. Those blogs could be shared in a college setting. A multi-user page could be set up, or other kind of blog hub. Such news could be intellectually discussed in a college environ.
Flyers are cheap and easy to make. A following could be grabbed really fast: the experiment tested.
It’s what I did.
And that can work as a great experiment and learning process for today’s online journalism students.
It’s easy to do. My question is: are students willing to work to affect news in their region?
I know my blog does. It’s quite an honor to know that the local newspaper is often bothered by just one little blog.
January 16th, 2007 at 12:38 pm
[…] Read the full article here: Howard Owens […]
January 16th, 2007 at 4:30 pm
[…] Owens sets a blueprint for j-schools Check out this fascinating interview with Bryan Murley of Innovation in College Media and Howard Owens, director of digital publishing at Gatehouse Media, Inc. […]
January 16th, 2007 at 5:19 pm
I think I should respond to Reginald.
I would like to believe that being real, authentic and transparent are traditional journalism values and have a long history in our business, but look at things like Jayson Blair and Dan Rather, and the over use of anonymous sources inside the beltway … modern journalism sure isn’t practicing that in a lot of arenas today. There are still a lot of journalists today who seem to cling to the notion that they are some sort of princely class who knows best what the news is and how to present it, who write in formal voices and never engage readers in a conversation. If what I’m proposing is traditional journalism, then we need to get back to it.
As for: “Just remember, what you “know” to be right at 2 p.m. may be wrong at 2:30 p.m. as more information becomes available.” For a print journalist being right at 3 p.m. can be critically important, because what you may not get a chance to change what you send to an editor at 3 p.m. — it may be the version that appears in print, and once in print, it’s history. Even a correction the next day doesn’t really correct it. We’ve all seen examples of inaccuracies that have lived for years because subsequent reporters didn’t read the correction. On the Web, nothing last forever unless you want it to. What’s wrong at 2 p.m. can easily be changed — and in the context most appropriate to the error — at 2:30 p.m. We can’t let fear of being wrong stop us from seeking a goal to publish early and often. If we’re good reporters, good editors, trained to be fair and honest and accurate, we’ll be right far more often than we’re wrong. And we probably won’t be wrong any less often than we are now — it’s just that correcting the mistakes is sooooooo much easier.
The worst mistake we can make, however, is to think of the web as a distribution channel. It’s not a channel. It’s a culture. That’s the point of starting with blogs to learn the web. Yes, blogs, podcasts, video, web pages, etc. are tools — but they’re tools, or more appropriate, entities, in an ecosystem. To just call them tools is to miss how, on a fundamental basis, they should be used.
January 16th, 2007 at 6:18 pm
[…] Romenesko also linked to the Bryan Murley interview, and pulled this quote: Journalism schools should design their curriculum and publication efforts accordingly [and] “be even more dismissive of print than mainstream pubs are right now,” … […]
January 16th, 2007 at 7:11 pm
I like to tell people who are hesitant to produce a multimedia story or collect audio or video, that it’s just another form of storytelling we now have available because of advances in the Internet. I can’t tell you how many times when I was a working journalist, I thought, “I wish people could hear the passion in this person’s voice” or the frustration or whatever emotion.
And blogging, discussion boards, story comments, etc. can all be valuable tools in storytelling too, with the reader filling in missing information or a different perspective on the topic.
I think we get too caught up in the technology and mechanics of how it’s done and lose sight of the tremendous value the web can be to our readers. Newspapers, I think, are not going away. But lifestyles have changed and the media has to adapt to survive.
Yes, we’re going to have to learn and teach new skills, and there’s no handy textbook at this point. But change isn’t just inevitable, it’s already here.
January 17th, 2007 at 4:51 am
[…] In a separate interview with Innovation in College Media, Owens gave this advice to J-schools: One of my big concerns about j-school professors today is that many of them don’t get the web. You blog, but how many others do? How many have done anything to participate in the participant culture, even so much as be a regular on a message board or mailing list? […]
January 17th, 2007 at 1:51 pm
Howard, I agree that some in traditional journalism are not practicing the values that so many of us hold dear. However, that is also true of some in new media. I believe it was a new media outlet that first reported the outgoing Clinton Administration trashed computers and offices before Bush took over. And, as I remember it, those allegations were bogus.
That is why I say students and teachers cannot lose site of the information gathering process. Whether you work in new or old media, you still need to know how to report, how to get it right and how to write. Yes, the Internet provides immediacy, but sometimes thoughtfulness is needed. The ability to update a Web story should not preclude people from trying to do a better job of determining the difference between “what they know is right” and “what they think they know is right.” Fear of getting it wrong is not a terrible thing. It can be motivating.
There have been too many instances where the immediacy of the Internet has resulted in bad information being spread around the world in a manner of seconds. I think that’s an argument for more self-restraint and better training.
Also, that a culture has developed around blogs and the Internet doesn’t change that they are tools used to distribute information. Lest we forget, the Internet and the software used on it change so much that blogs may be obsolete in a year or two and some other distribution method will be even more popular.
January 19th, 2007 at 7:25 pm
[…] I said journalism students should blog. Mia, a second-year journalism major at Kingston University, has taken up the challenge. Previously I had heard of blogs in passing but dismissed them as trivial online diaries most commonly used by teenagers discussing their angst. This is obviously not the case. Those on the highest ranks of the journalistic ladder are blogging. Senior broadcast journalist at the BBC, Robin Hammon, says “I think that everyone who works in industry, journalism or academia needs to blog to stay relevant and informed these days.” Share and Enjoy:These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. […]
January 22nd, 2007 at 7:37 am
[…] Owens: J-students should just assume their future is online Journalism schools should design their curriculum and publication efforts accordingly [and] “be even more dismissive of print than mainstream pubs are right now,” says Howard Owens, Gatehouse Media’s director of digital publishing. “I think these are exciting times, a chance to be at the vanguard of creating journalism for a new era, and in a far more competitive environment than most journalists have known over the past 30 to 50 years.” […]