19 minute read
Credible media vital
WEF President: Credible media vital in fi ght against COVID-19 and fake news epidemic
In this op-ed, endorsed by the Board of the World Editors Forum (WEF), Warren Fernandez warns of wrenching changes to come and urges urgent action to minimise damage to the media, and democracy.
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> Apart from news reports, people are turning to analysis and commentaries, videos and explainers. > Professional newsrooms help inoculate communities against another virus that is on the rampage – fake news. > The WHO warns of a coming “infodemic,” with misinformation spreading and undermining public trust at a crucial time. Newsrooms have been working overtime to keep the communities they serve updated. Audiences have surged. Apart from news reports, people are turning to analysis and commentaries, videos and explainers, to help them make sense of the fast-evolving and far-reaching crisis.
The antidote to virusinduced media malaise could be - declaring media as essential service; fi nancial assistance, government advertising, tax incentives and making online platforms pay for content.
Key Notes :
As the coronavirus continues its relentless spread across the world, infecting over a million people and killing tens of thousands, news stories of lockdowns, social distancing and overwhelmed hospitals have been making the headlines just about everywhere.
Amid the welter of information swirling about on social media, professional newsrooms which have long invested in building expertise, have been meeting the public’s hunger for objective reporting, based on journalists speaking to informed sources, providing context and perspective, drawing on historical knowledge and institutional memory.
These have also helped inoculate communities against that other virus that is on the rampage – fake news – which is sowing anxiety and confusion, as well as undermining the public’s trust in the reliability of information they receive at this critical time.
In the process, some reporters have succumbed to the virus while on the job, having to be isolated and quarantined. Some newsrooms have had to evacuate hurriedly, with staff rushing home, laptops in hand, to try to keep their platforms updated and the presses rolling.
But here’s the heart-breaking news: among the victims in the intensive care unit, gasping for breath, are some of the media organisations themselves, alongside many others from sectors that have also been hard hit, from aviation to retail.
Several, especially local and vernacular titles, might not be able to meet their financial commitments, or even pay staff salaries, in the months ahead.
Advertising is drying up, plunging by between 30 percent and 80 percent, according to a recent survey by the World Association of News Publishers. Revenues from media-related events, a new and growing source of funds, have also plunged, as social distancing measures are put in place.
Many newsrooms have also made content on the pandemic freely available, as a public service, thereby constraining their ability to grow revenues from subscriptions.
The upshot of this is both ironic and tragic: at a time when audiences are turning increasingly to established media titles, as recent surveys have shown, newsrooms are seeing their resources gutted, and some are even being shut.
In the United States, Gannett, the largest American newspaper chain, announced last week plans to cut salaries and lay-off some staff temporarily, while Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp has said it will stop print editions of 60 newspapers in Australia, with similar measures being taken in the United Kingdom and elsewhere.
This has heightened concerns about the emergence of “news deserts” – communities with no access to local government and community news as media groups cease to exist there.
There is also much angst over “ghost newsrooms,” titles which are snapped up by investors as they are still profitable, who then slash their reporting capabilities to boost margins, resulting in a lack of resources to produce local, original or independent content.
The implications of these developments for society are grave. At a time when communities are most in need of critical information, many newsrooms are increasingly hampered and finding it harder to deliver on their mission.
This has led the World Health Organisation to warn of a coming “infodemic,” with misinformation spreading and undermining public trust at a crucial time.
To be sure, the financial struggles faced by newsrooms is hardly news. Oxford historian Timothy Garton Ash pointed to this in a keynote address at the St Gallen Symposium in Switzerland in May 2017.
He said: “Very simply, the Internet is destroying the business model of newspapers. For at least two centuries, we have had a public good – news, the information we need for democracy – delivered by private means…People would pay for a newspaper and (there was also) advertising revenue. The Internet has just knocked away both these pillars. So the newspapers produce the information. Facebook and Google get the profit.
“And this has a very negative effect on the newspapers on which we have relied for our news...The amount of serious news, investigative journalism and foreign reporting is going down because that’s expensive.
“This is a real problem for the journalism we need for democracy.”
COVID-19, however, has mercilessly compounded this challenge and hastened both the shift to digital and the plunge in advertising.
So, is there an antidote to the virus-induced media malaise? Among the proposals that media leaders have been making urgently to their stakeholders are these: • Declaring the media an essential service: to enable journalists to go about their jobs during lockdowns, keeping newsrooms functioning and news agents running; • Granting financial assistance: these include tax breaks or holidays, shortterm loans and wage subsidies to help newsrooms pay their staff and bills in the face of falling revenues. Denmark has set up a 25 million euro fund which will grant news outlets that have recently seen revenues fall by between 30 percent and 50 percent relief of up to 60 percent of their losses, while in Lithuania, state subsidies are also given for critical infrastructure such as broadcasting and printing facilities; Giving tax incentives for advertisers and subscribers: In Italy, advertisers are given tax deductions of 30 percent of their spending in newspapers and online, while Canada allows subscribers to news titles to claim tax relief; Stepping up government advertising: public education campaigns tied to the pandemic can help make up for the fall in private advertising; Making Big Tech pay: Technology platforms should be pressed, as France has done, to make more meaningful contributions to the news outlets they rely on for content.
But while these steps might see media groups through the crisis, they are not without risks. Not least of which is the damage that could be done to the credibility of the media if it becomes overly dependent on state funding.This is especially a concern in societies with painful experiences of governments seeking to muzzle the media, through cuts in funding and advertising, shutdowns of newsrooms and even arrests of journalists.
To safeguard against this, beyond the crisis, new business models will also have to be fashioned to ensure the media remains viable and sustainable for the long haul.
Various experiments are now underway. While some big players like The New York Times and Financial Times are growing subscription revenues from readers, others such as The Washington Post, the South China Morning Post and Los Angeles Times, have been bought by wealthy business leaders, who have given these newsrooms a boost, by investing in journalism and technology.
Elsewhere, media groups have been given mandates by the state, with funding for public service broadcasts and journalism, as in France, Britain and the Scandinavian countries.
Some newsrooms have opted to be public trusts or not-for-profit companies, with a mission to provide public service journalism, such as the Guardian in the UK, and The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Salt Lake Tribune in the US, and also Japan’s Nikkei group. Which of these models works best remains unclear; nor perhaps is there likely to be one model that works for all, given the very different political histories and cultures that newsrooms operate in around the world.
This much is certain: the coronavirus pandemic might have begun as a public health crisis. But some wrenching economic, social and political changes could follow in the months to come.
People and communities will need to make sense of developments unfolding around them as well as to figure out the way forward. To do so, citizens and voters will need news organisations they consider credible, which they can rely on, and trust.
The writer is Editor in Chief of The Straits Times and President of the World Editors Forum (WEF), a network of editors that is part of WAN-IFRA, the World Association of News Publishers. This opinion piece was signed and endorsed by members of the Board of the WEF, in solidarity with newsrooms around the world.
New tech, fewer reporters: Challenges facing South Asian newsrooms postCOVID
Editors from several South Asian news publishers including The Quint (India), The Hindu (India), Times of India (India) and The Daily Star (Bangladesh) recently took part in a WAN-IFRA Webinar (according to Chatham House rules) to discuss the immediate business and editorial challenges facing the region’s news industry, and how they see things developing in the months ahead.
WAN-IFRA announces training for journalists
Virtual training for Indian journalists supported by Learn with Facebook Journalism Project.
Key Notes :
> The programme is designed to help journalists work in the new circumstances created by the
COVID-19 pandemic. > Programme comprises webinars and one-to-one virtual coaching to impart skills in digital storytelling. > This six-part virtual learning programme will be held from 27 May to 2 July and focus on digital skills development for journalists. WAN-IFRA has launched a new training programme for journalists in India supported by Learn with Facebook Journalism Project. The programme is designed to help journalists work in the new circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Conceptualised to be completely delivered in virtual learning mode, the training programme which comprises webinars and one-to-one virtual coaching will impart skills in digital storytelling.
This six-part virtual learning programme will be held from 27 May to 2 July and focus on digital skills development for journalists. It will give participants insights about writing for the digital medium, thinking visually about content, making their stories discoverable and using tools to increase productivity. The programme schedule is as follows: • Writing for digital, 26-27 May • Digital Marketing for journalists,3-4 June • Thinking visually about content, 10-11 June • SEO best practices, 17-18 June • Build your personal brand on social media, 14-25 June • Productivity tools for project management, 1-2 July
“The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the news media industry like never before. And the role of news publishers as the authentic source of news has become more important than ever. During these times, it is imperative that the journalists upskill and equip themselves to address the information needs of the society. We are happy to partner with Facebook Journalism Project to address this skill gap and to play a part in helping the industry face the new challenge” said Magdoom Mohamed, Managing Director of WAN-IFRA South Asia.
Each module will be taught by leading industry experts and veterans including Prem Panicker, Alok Agarwal, Veda Shastri, and Sunil Prabhakar.
“Journalists are working under challenging conditions to keep people informed during the COVID-19 pandemic. For many, these tough times also call for new skills to be learnt. Through this initiative, with WAN-IFRA, we are reiterating our commitment to supporting the news industry and journalism”. said Harsha Subramaniam, Head of News Partnerships, India, Facebook.
Additional one-to-one coaching Participants will also get additional one-to-one coaching sessions to apply the learning in the class to real life.
The programme will follow a webinar format on day 1, open to journalists in India. Day 2 will see one-to-one virtual coaching for a limited number of participants. At the end of the programme, participants selected for one-to-one coaching will showcase their projects. The best five projects will win a pair of tickets each to attend WAN-IFRA India 2020 - Future of News Summit on 23-24 September in Chennai.
The participants can follow the webinar live on Facebook Live. Details will be shared following registration.
The programme can be attended by the Editors | Digital Editors | Producers | Reporters & Journalists | Other journalists who aspire to update their skills in the new normal conditions.
To register for the webinar, visit https://events.wanifra.org/events/journalism-for-the-new-normal-trainingin-the-times-of-covid-19-and-beyond.
New dates announced for WAN-IFRA India 2020 Conference
Conference in Chennai on 23-24 September 2020.
WAN-IFRA India 2020, the 28th edition of WAN-IFRA’s annual conference in India, initially planned for 16-17 September, is now rescheduled to 23-24 September, in Chennai. The India event will be held a week after the World News Media Congress.
WAN-IFRA India 2020, South Asia’s largest gathering of news publishers is being designed to reflect the ‘new normal’ the news publishing industry is getting accustomed to. The event will feature Future of News Summit, a forward-looking event to discuss strategies, best practices and challenges in the news publishing business.
The popular Printing Summit for print production managers will be held in parallel. While both ‘Future of News Summit’ and ‘Printing Summit’ will be held on 23-24 September, The Women in News Summit, a platform to discuss women leadership and voice in news, will be held on 22 September, the pre-conference day. The conference has currently opened a call for speakers and topic suggestions.
The 2019 edition of the conference was held in Delhi and attracted over 350 delegates.
Apart from the main sessions, WAN-IFRA India 2020 will also offer a limited number of expo booths and networking dinner. The expo booth booking has already started.
The complete details of the event are
The printed press and quality independent journalism are absolutely essential during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As a key service provider in the field of automated newspaper production, ppi Media is playing an important role in ensuring newspaper production for its Indian publishing customers.
A comprehensive package of measures was put together by ppi Media in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing its employees to work from home – wherever possible – to ensure their health and safety and fully maintain the company’s support services. This has allowed ppi Media to ensure the full continuation of its customer care. As a result, publishing customers in India can be sure that their newspaper production will not run into technical difficulties in a general state of emergency. This applies to all ppi Media solutions – from planning to content creation. also supported by the fact that the company officially forms part of Germany’s critical infrastructure. This means that employees at ppi Media can make use of options like emergency childcare when necessary.
ppi Media is ensuring newspaper productions in Corona crisis
Partner in crisis situations ppi Media is also expanding its range of services for international publishing customers to ensure the maintenance of critical infrastructure in the current situation. The company has helped its customers to ensure the connection of employees working from home and to outsource production to new printing houses when printing service providers have been at risk of inactivity. “We’re actively approaching our customers to determine potential issues where we can offer support. Our international customers, such as publishing companies in India, can rely 100% on our services. Our Indian customers will also receive free licenses for our e-paper solution until the end of the corona crisis to ensure digital distribution options for newspapers,” explains Dr.
available at www.wan-ifra.org/india2020. Updates can also be followed from the conference Facebook page, www.facebook. com/wanifraindiaconference and on Twitter with the hashtag #DMI2020.
For a calendar of the upcoming WAN-IFRA events and webinars, visit: events.wan-ifra. org
Hauke Berndt, CEO of ppi Media. “We’re pleased to see that our technologies and structures developed in recent years offer our customers a high level of reliability in the current situation”.
80% of all daily newspapers on the German market are produced using products by ppi Media. Media companies in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the U.S. rely on the firm’s solutions in their daily work and use them in the planning, production, and editorial workflows of their digital and print products.
Dalim Software offers a series of webinars
- helping graphic arts production departments to ‘Do More With Less’.
With most of us currently staying home, Dalim Software makers of highly efficient, scalable software solutions for the creation, production and management of print and cross-media content, transformed DUO, its annual user conference, into a digital experience. Dalim Software conducted a series of webinars with episodes featuring production global experts in topics ranging from workflows to publishing to asset management offering a wide range of viewpoints.
Everyone was invited to join any or all of the free episodes of Season One of DUO on Air. Each weekly 50-minute webinar was complete with knowledgeable presentations from inspirational guest speakers, along with product-related insights, and best-practice methodology by worldwide experts. The series, titled ‘Do More With Less’ began April 14.
(April 14: Episode One) Do More With Less: Print The April 14 episode offered insights into the current state and future prognosis of PDF and PDF 2.0 from Matt Kuznicki, Chairman of the Board of the PDF Association. Matt discussed the challenges of managing PDF files of different quality while ensuring efficient RIP speed and print output quality. Also, Alan Darling, Vice President, Information Systems at Quantum Group, spoke about the evolution to a single-source communications partner. The on-demand printing focus has its challenges processing PDF input files of various quality. The segment concluded with a 15-minute Q&A session.
(April 21: Episode Two) Do More With Less: Publishing In this page-turner episode, participants got insights into the process of recharging
ADAC MotorWelt, one of the world’s largest (by circulation) magazines, from Editor-in-Chief Martin Kunz and Dr. Markus Schönmann, Managing Director and Founder of Storyboard, the magazine’s supporting agency. The segment concluded with a Q&A session.
(April 28: Episode Three) Do More With Less: Creative Operations Co-organized with Henry Stewart Events, this episode discussed the role that DAM plays in helping to manage and transform creative operations—regardless of the content type, and the final destination for that content. Examples included packaging, in-store graphics, e-commerce photography, and catalogues. Mark Maguire, Production Director at SDL plc, a global leader in content creation, translation and delivery, explained how automation plays a critical part in reducing time to market and operational costs. Florent Epaud was founder of InPagina, a production house specializing in data publishing. He spent his last 15 years automating a wide variety of marketing production projects for both digital and print campaigns. He now holds the role of Solutions Project Manager at Dalim Software. Moderator Isabelle Billerey Rayel of Dalim Software investigated identifying opportunities for automation; reducing risk throughout the content lifecycle; removing barriers to adoption; and re-evaluating a program after initial wins—and sustaining progress.
“Dalim Software is fortunate to be able to reach out to a wide variety of customers and partners; experts in the fields of workflow and asset management. This reflects the extensive range of businesses we serve— and the legacy we have enjoyed after thirty-five years of operation,” explains Carol Werlé, Dalim Software CEO. “We are trying to make these presentations constructive for our audience. While, of course, the speakers have experience with Dalim Software, that takes a back seat to learning how to manage the process.”
digital printing
Xerox and Vortran Medical partner to mass produce disposable Ventilators
The two companies expect to work together to quickly respond to the shortage of critical ventilation equipment necessary to support patients breathing.
Xerox Holdings Corporation and Vortran Medical Technology are teaming up to speed and scale production of Vortran’s GO2Vent ventilator and related Airway Pressure Monitor (APM-Plus) for hospitals and emergency response units fighting the battle against COVID-19.
Assuming a stable supply of essential parts, the companies will be rapidly scaling up production from approximately 40,000 ventilators in April to between 150,000 and 200,000 ventilators a month by June. Together, Xerox and Vortran could produce as many as 1 million ventilators in the coming months.
While the GO2Vent is not a replacement for ventilators found in intensive care units (ICUs), it is widely used in emergency situations, inter-hospital transport and MRIs. Given the shortage of ICU-grade ventilators, medical professionals are utilizing tools like this and other technology to support patients who do not yet or no longer need an ICUlevel breathing device, which can be freed up for another patient.
“Our smartest minds met (virtually) with Vortran’s smartest minds and figured out how to mass produce this critical technology,” said John Visentin, vice chairman and chief executive officer, Xerox. “We want to help make sure doctors, nurses and paramedics on the frontlines have the resources they need to help the rising number of patients with COVID-19.”
Xerox plans to manufacture these FDAapproved ventilators and APM-Plus devices at its facility outside of Rochester, NY, where the company was founded
and maintains a large presence. Vortran will continue to manufacture ventilators at its current facility in Sacramento, CA.
“The partnership with Xerox has one clear goal – to help save as many lives as possible. With Vortran’s proven technology and Xerox’s ability to hyperscale manufacturing, we believe we can supply healthcare providers as many as 1 million ventilators in the coming months,” said Vortran Co-founder and CEO, Gordon A. Wong, M.D. “For all of us, this will be the most important thing we ever do.”
Vortran’s GO2Vent was designed for emergency use, natural disasters and disease outbreaks such as the COVID-19 pandemic. A gas-operated, disposable ventilator that can be set-up within minutes and discarded after use by a single patient, it provides support via a secure airway and can be operated on a compressor, oxygen or air with a minimum of 10 liters per minute flow rates.
The GO2Vent can provide continuous ventilatory support for up to 30 days and operates independent of Vortran’s APM-Plus. The APM-Plus is a battery
operated, portable device that connects to a GO2Vent and provides enhanced monitoring of patient status and key respiratory parameters. Given the need to confirm key supplies, the companies are actively assessing how quickly production can ramp for the APM-Plus devices.
In addition to scaling up production of the GO2Vent and APM-Plus, Xerox and Vortran expect to compile and analyze data and feedback from healthcare professionals on the frontlines of the battle against COVID-19 in order to design and mass produce external, in-line modifications that can be added to the GO2Vent to expand the potential applications of this life-saving equipment.
Both Xerox and Vortran will distribute the products.
