Calling on the American Press Institute to go one more step
Six months? Are you kidding me! The 50 or so CEO’s who attended last week’s emergency summit hosted by the American Press Institute agreed to reconvene in six months to “explore . . .” oh, blah, blah, blah. Who cares. If you can wait that long, fine, stop reading now. If not I have an idea, but I need your help.
Martin Langeveld proposes a Manhattan project to try and resurrect the industry. I think that is exactly what we need as long as we bring in outside opinions and expertise too. I also propose we get the American Press Institute to pay for it and help make sure we get the right people in the room this time. A second chance to get it right, if you will.
I don’t envision an environment where the likes of Jeff Jarvis, Steve Outing, Alan Mutter and those types get up and preach to the choir. They are fine and do a lot of good and I have no problem with any of them.
But the kinds of people I want in a room that can really end up making real change in our industry are those like Nick Bilton, Ryan Sholin, Pat Thornton, David Kohn, beat blogger Matt Neznanski, Tom Altman, and those on the Crunchberry team.
We need young, energetic, tech-savvy, open-minded individuals who embrace the chaos and for whatever reason still care about this industry because the ability to do really cool things still exist. After all, change in a company can be preached from on high by the CEO, but the ones responsible for implementing it are those who operate with no constraints, acknowledged that no box ever exists and are given the freedom to play in that environment.
And then I would go one step further. We have to find those people outside of our industry who love to consume information and are great innovators. We need them in the room to.
I am willing to help organize such a summit, Manhattan project, barcamp or whatever we want to call it. If you have ideas of where we can do it, who should be there and when we should do it, email me. If there’s enough interest, I’ll set up a site and go from there.
As for last’s weeks API summit, you can read more from Mark Potts, Chuck Peters, Steve Outing, and here and here.
Related articles by Zemanta
- How Newspapers Can Reinvent Themselves [Print Is Dead]
- New Media Versus Print Journalism: Finally, a Deathmatch!
- No one hates journalists like a former journalist [Jeff Jarvis]
- The coming battle over content: employee vs boss
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=51acc2b3-a75e-46a0-99fb-89a50902cdcb)
November 17th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
*tsk* *tsk*
Only the young need apply? That’s a shame that you put an age requirement on who you think can change the industry. There are many forward thinking individuals that are not young.
November 17th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
I being taken to task for putting the word ‘young’ into my description of those who I’d like to get involved in this initiative.
Everyone who has responded is right. Being young or old is not in anyway a requirement and it was a mistake to include it.
The point was this: We need to collaborate, now more than ever, with those on the front lines collecting content regardless of product, those who build cool and innovative applications and tools and those who bring fresh ideas from multiple perspectives.
My goal was not to be divisive but to start something that may have potential and may be beneficial.
November 17th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
Why are we assuming “young” means age? Maybe Jason was referring to a young attitude instead of age.
Seems like he may have hit a word that people assumed meant old.
November 17th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
Hey, I’m in.
The big trick here is going to be (as it is with any training or brainstorming session) how to bring great ideas and best practices back into newsrooms that are frozen with fear.
November 17th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
I talked with Tom about a few ideas I had a few weeks back, and I’ll say right now I’m in with your plan just as much as I am with any kind of tech initiative here in Iowa.
We have a lot of tech and new media here, we just need to unify and structure it into something that can be nationally, or at least can receive, statewide recognition.
November 17th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
We should totally run a barcamp style summit across the street from the next API summit of CEOs… And yes, I’m in.
November 17th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
[...] API’s summit, “Saving an Industry in Crisis,” ended with no real plan or ideas — except to meet again in six months. That no-solution solution got on several bloggers radars–and under their skins. (See Martin Lavengeld, Steve Outing, and Kristufek’s We Media. [...]
November 17th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
[...] now that we have that out of the way, Jason Kristufek is calling for a “summit” of future-of-news hotshots/thinkers as a counterpoint to the recent American Press Institute mostly-executives meeting of the [...]
November 18th, 2008 at 1:26 am
[...] – Sunday squibs on Nov 16, 2008 BuzzMachine » Blog Archive » Roll over, Beethovan on Nov 17, 2008 Calling on the American Press Institute to go one more step « Jason Kristufek’s We Media blog On the collapsing news industry (Scripting News) on Nov 17, 2008 Fascinating Blog Battle on Fate of [...]
November 18th, 2008 at 1:55 am
The Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute is kicking off The Information Valet Project with a convening Dec. 3-5 in Columbia, Mo. It’s just the sort of blow-up-the-industry solution that’s need — a complete change of perspective away from a focus on a product — the newspaper — and to a new relationship with users. For more information see: http://www.ivpblueprint.org
November 18th, 2008 at 4:33 am
@sholin – “We should totally run a barcamp style summit across the street from the next API summit of CEOs” – yes, yes AND yes.
November 18th, 2008 at 6:09 am
Why wait six months? Have this in Silicon Valley in Feb. Ask Google or Yahoo to donate space for a weekend. Both have plenty of it. Throw up a wiki. Try to rustle up some donations from foundations to help offset some travel costs. Can probably find lots of folks out here willing to host.
November 18th, 2008 at 7:24 am
[...] Calling on the American Press Institute to go one more step. The people in the room discussing what’s next for newspapers, writes Jason Kristufek, should be the “energetic, tech-savvy, open-minded individuals who embrace the chaos and for whatever reason still care about this industry because the ability to do really cool things still exist.” [...]
November 18th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
how about incorporating a run and a rock concert?
That way you have all the bases covered.
November 20th, 2008 at 3:30 am
Thanks Jason. I did post my summary of the API Summit Liveblog today at http://cpetersia.wordpress.com
Do you think that the Information Valet Project meeting in two weeks in Missouri can be the start of your effort? Any of your suggested participants going?
Check out http://www.readership.org/blog2/2008/11/lets-hope-50-ceos-seek-more-than-one.html
What do you think of the Six Competencies?
Chuck
November 21st, 2008 at 8:17 pm
I’m horribly late to this conversation…… I apologies.
I’m in. I’m working on spot.us not to make a million bucks but because I think it (and projects like it) are what journalism needs right now. Anything you think I can do to help – let me know.
November 28th, 2008 at 11:45 pm
[...] Calling on the American Press Institute to go one more step [...]
November 29th, 2008 at 7:59 am
[...] Others are questioning whether newspapers even have six months, and some are saying it’s time for a “Manhattan project” for the newspaper industry. [...]
December 1st, 2008 at 5:44 am
I’m in.
December 2nd, 2008 at 9:02 pm
[...] here is one attempt at doing something. My last post floated the idea of getting smart, cool, tech-savvy media industry folks together in an environment [...]