We are delighted to announce the agenda for the next digital journalism conference news:rewired, to take place in London on Tuesday 3 February.
Organised by Journalism.co.uk, news:rewired brings together leaders in the industry to share their thoughts and experiences, discuss salient issues and give practical advice on tools and techniques for better journalism in the 21st century.
The full agenda and further information on the conference, which will be held at the MSN UK headquarters in London, can be found here, including such highlights as:
Keynote speech
February’s news:rewired will begin with a keynote speech from Aron Pilhofer, the Guardian’s executive editor for digital. Having joined the Guardian from the New York Times over the summer, Pilhofer recently announced a wave of changes to the Guardian newsroom and will discuss where he believes the industry is heading and how journalists can be prepared.
Experimenting in the newsroom
The newsrooms and journalists who have been most successful in the world of digital media tend to be those who are willing to try out new ideas.
In the first session of the day, we hear how different organisations have been experimenting, what has been successful, and how to best merge new ideas and old habits.
Pat Long, head of news development at the Times and Sunday Times, Amanda Farnsworth, head of visual journalism at the BBC, and Trinity Mirror’s digital director Malcolm Coles will be among the speakers on this opening panel sharing their views and experiences.
Approaching the elections
Data journalism, mobile reporting and social media were all in their relative infancy during the last UK general election in 2010, but as the next election nears they have become central to modern digital journalism.
So how can journalists prepare for the forthcoming elections, and how will sources or stories differ from last time around?
Alberto Nardelli, who became the latest data editor at the Guardian after founding political data and social media services Tweetminster and Electionista, will discuss the new possibilities for data journalism, while BuzzFeed UK’s deputy editor Jim Waterson will look at new reporting tools and techniques.
Visual storytelling
Now that a lot of a journalist’s work is in dealing with pixels rather than print, it opens up new possibilities in terms of visual storytelling.
This is not to say that one is generally better that another, but that some stories can be told more quickly and effectively with a good graphic than a couple of paragraphs.
BuzzFeed UK’s Tom Phillips will lead this workshop with Lulu Pinney, a freelance visual journalist and trainer with experience in senior roles at Haymarket and BBC News Online, looking at how to tell stories visually and effectively.
Online investigations
Another workshop on the day will take a deep look at online investigations with Elliot Higgins, the founder of investigative site Bellingcat sometimes known as Brown Moses, and Paul Radu, investigative reporter with the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and founder of the Investigative Dashboard.
Through his work at Bellingcat, Higgins has been sharing tips for investigative journalism using open information and social media, and Radu has long been digging up financial data around the world to trace “illicit ties” across borders.
Together, they have recently been leading a number of Investigathon events to share their advice on investigative journalism online, and will do so in a condensed format at news:rewired.
Other sessions and workshops include:
– How news organisations are engaging younger audiences, including insight from Sky News’s senior producer Alan Strange, who is leading the outlet’s Stand Up Be Counted project.
– Measuring success, in which speakers such as analytics expert Stijn Debrouwere will discuss the different metrics for journalistic success for individual journalists, newsrooms and commercial departments.
– A look at the resurgence of audio as storytelling format, examining how some outlets are experimenting with new models and the growing digital demand for audio. Anna Doble, who recently joined BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat as assistant editor after an award-winning term as head of online for Channel 4 News, is already announced as a speaker for this session, with more to follow.
– The final session of the day will look at emerging technology, with the Guardian’s mobile editor Subhajit Bannerjee focusing on how news organisations can use wearables, like smartwatches, to distribute their news, among other speakers.
Still to be announced are a selection of optional lunchtime workshops for delegates to receive expert guidance on a range of topics, or use the extended lunch break for more networking time.
Tickets for news:rewired are still available, and we advise you to book early to avoid missing out.
Ticketing options are:
- news:rewired: A ticket to the one-day conference including refreshments, food, optional lunchtime workshops and post-event networking drinks is available for just £165 +VAT.
- news:rewired+: As well as a ticket for the conference, news:rewired+ tickets provide a full day of training on Wednesday 4 February from a choice of three courses. Lulu Pinney will lead a day of training in visual storytelling and social media expert Sue Llewellyn will look at effective social media content strategies. The third training option is yet to be announced, and news:rewired+ tickets for both days are available for £335 +VAT.
If you select a news:rewired+ ticket we will contact you to confirm which training course you would like to attend once they have all been announced.
Keep an eye on the news:rewired website and Journalism.co.uk for further updates on speakers, sessions and training courses, or book your ticket now.