fix journalism a conversation about journalism’s future

Author: Michael Higdon | 12.15.2009

I believe we’re still in the question stages of evolution (revolution?). It’s unfortunate, because all the questions all of us are asking are really late. But if I were to label where we are now, I’d say we’re in research and development.

Asking the right questions, then, is important when preparing to move forward. Asking the wrong questions can send you spiraling off into failure, and not the good kind where you learn and laugh it off. Asking the wrong questions demonstrates a misunderstanding of the problems, de facto, leads to the wrong solutions. Asking the right questions leads to better, more specific questions and send you in the right direction.

Below are some questions we were asked by the leader of our newly formed Innovation Team. It’s our first real meeting, and these are our homework. I think these are the right questions that will lead to better questions.

I will not post my answers, because, well we’re a private company and I’d probably get fired. Also, I’ve answered these question, in a more general, young-person-who-thinks-he-knows-everything way before. Now I have to answer these in a sobering, part-of-the-cogs-that-make-the-machine-go sort of way. And I have to be market specific. Kinda tough.

Has anyone asked you these questions lately?

1. What has happened in the “external” world that could affect the way we do business?
2. What challenges and threats do we face as an organization from the “external” world?
3. What are the opportunities we should be taking advantage of in order to: a. Make us more sustainable as an organization
   b. Help us be a better company?
4. What information do you have that you think is important to share with others in the Innovation Station group?
5. What are the important strengths of [your publication/branch/company]?
6.  What weaknesses are preventing us from being a better organization?
7. Make some notes about what you think our vision, values and mission are as an organization.
8. What challenges have we failed to meet in the past two to three years and why have we failed to meet them?
9. What challenges have we met well in the past two to three years and what helped us to meet them?
10. What is the most important outcome that you would like to see emerging from Innovation Station?  Why do you think it is so important?

Answering these questions also requires real honesty. You can throw it off the cuff “The Internet! Craigslist! Blaaaah! They are the reason we fail.” But is that honest? Isn’t there a more specific reason your company didn’t meet your market’s challenges/expectations?

It also takes a special kind of boss to ask these questions and be able to hear things he or she isn’t comfortable with hearing.

I’ll give you an example. I don’t think any external challenges affected the way we (journalists) do business. Obviously if they did, we’d be doing things differently. I think all the challenges news companies face are internal. External forces are just other companies who did things correctly on the inside. I’d say that’s harder to hear than “Craiglist screwed up our classifieds.”

What are your answers?