New York Times Study Calls for Rapid Change in Newsroom; New York Times, 1/17/17

Sydney Ember, New York Times; 

New York Times Study Calls for Rapid Change in Newsroom

[Kip Currier: This week in my "Managing and Leading Information Services" graduate course we started exploring Strategic Planning, with a focus on Mission, Vision, and Environmental Scanning. So it was fortuitous to be able to pass on to the class some information and questions for them to ponder about the just-released New York Times' 2020 Report:

"The internal report discussed in the 1/17/17 New York Times article, "Internal New York Times Report Urges Faster Newsroom Change", is an example of strategic planning, as well as a call for action and *rapid* transformational change.

Read the article about the report and the 2020 Report. Then think about and be prepared to discuss in class:

(1) the SWOT analysis (i.e. identification of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) that may have been done to create a report of this nature,

(2) your thoughts about the goals that were identified by the New York Times' leadership, and

(3) what take-away insights from the 2020 Report may be applicable to other kinds of information services and industries."]

[Excerpt from 1/17/17 article about the 2020 Report:] "The New York Times has deftly adapted to the demands of digital journalism, but it needs to change even more quickly, according to an internal report that recommends the company expand training for reporters and editors, hire journalists with more varied skills and deepen engagement with readers as a way to build loyalty and attract the subscriptions necessary to survive.

The report, released to The Times newsroom on Tuesday, culminates a year of work by a group of seven journalists who were asked by Dean Baquet, the executive editor, to conduct a review of the newsroom and determine a blueprint for its path forward.

Titled “Journalism That Stands Apart,” and known internally as the 2020 report, the document provides a set of broad principles to accelerate the transformation while maintaining a commitment to high-quality journalism.

The report comes at a particularly sobering time for the legacy media industry."