Superdesk - Future-Proof Your Newsroom

FUTURE-PROOF

your newsroom

Being side by side with journalists as they work is the best way to build tools

Superdesk

GREAT NEWS FOR NEWS Making the best possible software for quality journalism is our calling

"Superdesk is now ready for everyone. This brochure will tell you all about it."

A

s Europe’s largest developer

of the system’s core. As of October

you in developing your own system on

of open source tools for news

2014, Sourcefabric staff have been

top of the Superdesk framework. And we

media, we are proud to bring

embedded in the newsroom of Austra-

most certainly will not shy away from

you Superdesk, an end-to-end news

lian Associated Press (AAP), working

playing the role of the custodian of this

creation, production, curation, distribu-

with their development team and

resulting new code base, in effect built by

tion and publishing platform. We have

learning the agency’s strict require-

journalists, for journalists.

specifically conceived it to be scalable

ments for accurate news delivery at

to suit news operations of any size.

speed. We believe that being side by side with the journalists as they work is

Aside from its potential to serve as an

the best way to build tools that enable

all-in-one newsroom system, Super-

rather than frustrate users.

desk’s modular approach effectively Sava Tatić

provides a continuous innovation

We are open to development partnerships

framework for your organisation. New

similar to our work with AAP. We are also

features, products or entire apps can

ready to develop new custom applica-

Co-founder and

be easily added, without major rewrites

tions for your existing system -- or assist

Managing Director

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4 CONTENTS Desks, tasks and teams

Be everywhere without leaving your desk

3

User-experience and design

The better you look, the more you see

4

The API-first approach

Unlock your content, release the API

10

The Superdesk tech stack

11

Output channels

Create once publish everywhere

12

Open source license

Business-friendly code

13

10 “Web APIs

were the answer to all of this.”

15

Developing in partnership

Let’s work together

14

Who’s using Superdesk

“Make journalism the focus”

15

Meet Sourcefabric

16

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www.sourcefabric.org Image credits:

contact@sourcefabric.org

Cover, Janis Milzarajs, Mareks Gaidamovics p. 3, Getty Images p. 11, Adrian Magdas p. 12-13, Remix of Paper city by Philippe Put (CC BY 2.0)

Sourcefabric GmbH Prinzessinnenstr. 20 10969 Berlin Germany +49 30 6162 9281

Sourcefabric z.ú.

Salvátorská 10 110 00 Praha 1 Czech Republic +420 222 362 540

Sourcefabric North America 720 Bathurst St. M5S 2R4 Toronto, Ontario Canada

Superdesk

BE EVERYWHERE WITHOUT LEAVING YOUR DESK Desks, tasks and teams

N

The complexity of workflows and team structures are neatly stacked away beneath the desktop, so to speak. o desks, no newsroom.

create an environment that does away

workflows. It is through desks that you

Desks are essential to any

with tedious chores and encourages

assign and manage tasks. Think of

news business. It comes as

interaction and creativity. Desks are a

them as groups. Desks organise teams

no surprise that desks are the basic

good illustration of this approach. The

by type of work (proofing, image editor)

organisational units in Superdesk.

complexity of workflows and team

or by location (Berlin bureau, Prague) or

structures are neatly stacked away

subject (politics, sports, origami) or

Superdesk’s primary aim is to give

beneath the desktop, so to speak, and

anything else that represents your

newsroom staff the best possible

can be customised in the desk settings.

production.

experience to excel in their jobs. To

Desks in Superdesk provide the

achieve this goal, we have sought to

structure to create teams and

Each desk has a workflow. All users of a desk share the same process of working.

The desk’s workflow is customisable in the desk configuration.

3

Superdesk

THE BETTER YOU LOOK, THE MORE YOU SEE User experience and design

Customisable Dashboard

Superdesk comes with a number of universal widgets for the dashboard.

More widgets can be added to fit the needs of the newsroom.

Get your coffee, sit down, log in and at a glance know where you are, what there is to do, who else is around and what happened while you were away. This is the way the Superdesk dashboard works (minus the coffee).

Each editor can customise their own dashboard to reflect their personal tasks. Adding new widgets is an efďŹ cient way to extend Superdesk.

Superdesk

New Tab 02

The editor’s dashboard shows everything that matters: activity stream, task management, incoming news. The navigation in the left column accesses other Superdesk areas.

4

Powerful Content Search

Superdesk

New Tab 02

Support to different delivery mechanisms and data formats let

Superdesk’s Ingest

you define and

component includes

browse content from

support for NewsML-G2,

a broad variety of

NewsML 1.2, NITF,

content feeds.

IPTC, RSS, ANPA, Teletype and other formats.

Searches can be saved. This way, the most

The search can access one or more

faceted search results are always only one

repositories. In this case the search has

click away.

been narrowed down to “Reuters, pictures, soccer”.

Superdesk features a robust and easy-to-use content searching component built on top of the powerful

Selecting an item brings up the preview on the right. Metadata and related items can be displayed alongside the image or text itself.

capabilities of Elasticsearch. You can define a search query by simply setting up filters using multiple parameters and facets. Within the results you can save the filter settings so they can be reused further via the search component or even within individual widgets on your user dashboard.

“Interface design means hiding the complexity of technology.”

Vladimir Stefanović / Head of Design 5

Superdesk

Content Packages The ability to package together news items is important to news organisations and their customers. Creating content packages in Superdesk allows you to better deďŹ ne the different facets of the coverage of a news story or to aggregate content for news products. Packages are versioned, have their own metadata and reference individual pieces of content.

Image cropping is intuitive and fast, preset options are available.

Superdesk

New Tab 02

Packaging content including pictures and text occurs on the righthand side of the screen. The monitoring on the left allows you to keep an eye on the news for time-sensitive changes.

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Superdesk

SuperDesk

New Tab 02

New Tab 02

Master Desk View Keep an eye on your entire newsroom. The Master Desk View offers three different modes for you to view how stories and tasks are progressing and who is working on what. Editors can also see user distribution per Desk with their corresponding roles and who is available online or who is not.

Monitoring and Production Superdesk allows you to be fully immersed in the news that matters to you as it pours in. The monitoring view is the system’s default working environment. The left part of the screen allows you to keep an eye on the items coming in and out of your news organisation at all times. You can reference background materials and incoming feeds without ever losing focus on your work. The monitored content can be set up for each desk or individually by the journalists. Getting away from all the buzz is simple as well. A click on the monitoring icon hides the monitoring lists. If you need them back, just click on the same icon again.

Monitoring can be adjusted individually. You can follow desks, people and saved searches. You can also change the order of the monitoring results.

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Powerful Content Search Search queries containing ďŹ lters, multiple parameters and facets can be saved for reuse in the future.

Content Packages Packages are versioned, have their own metadata and reference individual pieces of content.

Master Desk View Keep an eye on your entire newsroom. The Master Desk View offers three different modes: stories, tasks and people.

Customisable Dashboard Each editor can customise their own dashboard to reflect their personal tasks.

Superdesk

UNLOCK YOUR CONTENT, RELEASE THE API The API-first approach

“Web APIs were the answer to all of this.”

Holman Romero

W

Why APIs

hen we started concept-

blueprint to extend different parts of

ualising Superdesk as a

the system. This API ensures the

product, we knew we were

standardised functionality and modu-

Superdesk APIs encourage and

lar structure of the Superdesk core.

promote innovation and cooperation.

going to create a complex and large system. Thus, we had to think of a design where system extensibility,

This is very important to us, especially

Content API

considering the fact that Superdesk is

third-party applications were at the top

The Content API allows us to do a

developed based on the APIs will be

of the requirements. Web APIs were

better job with content distribution and

available as a set of tools for journal-

the answer to all of this.

publishing. It makes news content

ism to any newsroom worldwide.

content portability and integration with

an open source project. New products

available in a presentation-free JSON

API-first

format and follows the IPTC's ninjs

With the explosion of new digital

(News in JSON) specification. The

platforms, services and devices in the

This API-first approach bring a lot to

Content API represents an important

past few years, having a modern

the table. Superdesk is designed from

asset to newsrooms, it makes it possi-

technological infrastructure to support

the ground up as a platform, featuring

ble to build specialised apps, whenever

content publishing to reach readers

a set of RESTful APIs which serve

needed, to present the content graceful-

wherever they are has become essen-

different purposes. This approach

ly tailored for any given environment.

tial to news organisations of any kind.

allows us to define a core system that provides all the underlying services

This is exactly what Superdesk

and the minimum set of features for

Management API

having a functional and useful

The Management API is a third

end-to-end news system.

interface to Superdesk which is still in the making. It will enable develop-

System API

ers to write external applications to

The System API is part of the platform,

Superdesk resources from external

giving developers a well-defined

applications.

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create and update content and other

addresses.

Sometimes an image needs a thousand words: Superdesk server architecture and technological stack

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Superdesk

CREATE ONCE PUBLISH EVERYWHERE Output channels

C

ontent produced in Superdesk is ready to go on any platform

/ Developer

Developer-friendly

or device, anywhere. You can

We are working on tools for develop-

devise new news products practically

ers to create new solutions reaching

as quickly as you can conceive them.

readers on any platform. To better integrate with Superdesk APIs,

As with everything else in the system,

Sourcefabric is developing a set of

publishing in Superdesk is modular.

SDKs for all major programming

From wire feeds to web publishing,

languages. We have started with

print and broadcast, each output can

PHP, allowing applications to

be governed by a specialised output

interact smoothly with the Super-

manager that allows whatever degree

desk Content API.

of control you may need. Alternatively, it can also be channeled to existing distribution or production software.

And there is more to be gained using output channels.

Integration with Content Management Systems

Superdesk Web Publisher In the near future, publishing to the web will be possible from Superdesk.

The Superdesk Web Publisher will provide the most powerful way of managing multiple websites driven by Superdesk content. We are working on

Typical web CMSs are specialised tools

a modern editor with preview functions

to render content on the web. Those

for user-deďŹ ned devices from desktop

systems can be hooked up to Superdesk

to mobile, which will help you deliver

as output channels. The newsroom then

compelling stories to whatever online

works within Superdesk in a

publishing platform you may have.

standardised workflow of content creation and production. The presentation is delegated to the web application.

A good example of this approach is the WordPress plug-in we are currently developing to ingest Superdesk content.

https://github.com/superdesk/web-renderer 12

Mischa Gorinskat

Adaptabili Adaptability superdesk Superdesk co SDK opens SDK opens u world thethe world of

y matters.

The matters.

The content API PHP ntent API PHP up Superdesk Superdesk to to PHP. HP.

OPEN SOURCE LICENSE Business-friendly code

S

uperdesk is licensed to guarantee clients full access to the source code. Our licence eliminates any risk of vendor lock-in and

related software-escrow costs. The licence also gives clients the freedom to modify all aspects of the software, because we believe this is how software transcends from being very useful to being truly productive.

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Superdesk

“We know code, journalism and forward-thinking business models.”

Arne Müller / Head of Business Development

LET’S WORK TOGETHER

because it better describes the way we

Developing in partnership

partnership well. Preceding the

T

Sydney to get a better understanding of

work together. Our recent endeavour with Australian Associated Press (AAP) illustrates the benefits of such a contract signing, Sourcefabric project managers spent a few months in

ruthful to our motto “made by

the technical requirements for the

journalists, for journalists”, we

project and to get a feel for the

regularly place our team in our

agency’s strict requirements for

clients’ newsrooms. Working side by

accurate and speedy news delivery.

side, they effectively translate this experience into Superdesk’s product

This partnership is a perfect opportuni-

design. The best innovators know their

ty for Sourcefabric to showcase the

environment by heart before designing

power and flexibility of open source

features. This is how we like to work,

software to news and media organisa-

and this is how we shape Superdesk.

tions worldwide.

Working together so closely, we prefer

We grow relationships, not just

to refer to clients as partners, simply

technology.

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“Sourcef “Sourc thethe sam s whe w newsro new

MAKE JOURNALISM THE FOCUS Who’s using Superdesk

In October 2014, AAP partnered with

AAP’s developers worked in tandem with

Sourcefabric to work side by side in

Sourcefabric’s developers. How did that

developing Superdesk. Together, AAP and

go?

Sourcefabric have more than 30 people involved in the project. In the past,

I think a general atmosphere of

‘non-journalistic’ tasks, such as tagging

excitement has been generated through

keywords to news packages took up to

our collaboration – that and the usual

one fifth of the reporters’ time. With

mix of fear, anxiety and relief that

Superdesk we are on a quest to (re)make

developers tend to feel when tackling

journalism the focus. We asked Brook

complexity.

Thomas, AAP’s chief technology officer, to

bric fabric spoke spoke me language language en it came it came to to m oom needs.” needs.”

tell us a bit more about their experience

Did you gain new insights into newsroom

working with Sourcefabric.

management during the project?

With Superdesk, you have the flexibility to

To me, workflow is an incredibly

build on new features as you go. What are

intricate thing and this project made

the advantages of having an ever-changing

me really wonder how some workflows

system in your newsroom?

ever came to be. It seems to be the case that they’re often a consequence

With the digital arm of news media

of estranged needs and misheld beliefs

continually creating new challenges,

that customers still require content a

managing a platform that allows you to

certain way. Through a technical

enhance, add and remove functionality

analysis of workflows we were able to

without a fuss is essential. You simply

expose some curious aspects of

have to answer user and business needs

business logic.

if you want to keep moving forward – if you can’t answer them, you’re in trouble.

Within newsroom management, you can neglect legacy editorial systems

Brook Thomas / Chief Technology Officer, Australian Associated Press

How did the open source nature of Superdesk and processes at your peril. All newsimpact the decision-making process?

rooms should work hard to ‘keep their house in order’ – technology can’t do

Obviously open source is a major strate-

all the work, you have to keep on top of

gic choice and it was a central talking

the complexity.

point especially given that our technology stack was so conservative. But in the end we simply went for it.

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Superdesk

MEET SOURCEFABRIC Europe’s largest developer of open source tools for news media

“Our diverse portfolio of clients and partners benefit each other.”

Fabienne Riener

S

ourcefabric is based in Prague,

Our team consist of over sixty people,

projects in some of the most remote

Czech Republic, and was

with offices in Prague, Berlin, Toronto,

and challenging political and econom-

founded in 2010 with the

Belgrade and Cluj-Napoca. Among the

ic environments in the world.

purpose of developing state-of-the-art

list of Sourcefabric clients you will find

tools for journalism. For more than a

international multi-channel news

Our formula is simple: we want the

decade, the founders of Sourcefabric

organisations, radio stations, self-pub-

best, not only for individual clients, but

have worked with media organisations

lishing and print-on-demand service

for the industry as a whole; from Basel

worldwide, empowering journalism

providers as well as NGOs and news

to Bamako, to Sydney and São Paulo.

through software development and

agencies. We deploy forward-thinking

services. Our history of producing open

news technologies with business

source software for news media dates

leaders in newsrooms across the globe.

back to 1999.

Much of our work is also focused on

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languages we speak

16

23

nationalities we have

14

countries we are spread across

Sourcefabric GmbH Prinzessinnenstr. 20 10969 Berlin Germany phone: +49 30 6162 9281

Berlin Toronto Sourcefabric North America Centre for Social Innovation 720 Bathurst St. Toronto, Ontario M5S 2R4 Canada

CONTACT US contact@sourcefabric.org www.sourcefabric.org @sourcefabric www.facebook.com/Sourcefabric https://www.linkedin.com/company/sourcefabric

Prague Sourcefabric z.ú.

Salvátorská 10 110 00 Praha 1 Czech Republic phone: +420 222 362 540