media update’s Adam Wakefield spoke to Deva Lee, digital production editor at the South China Morning Post, about how budding journalists can prepare themselves for today’s media industry.
What skills should budding journalists have in their toolkit to be an effective professional in today’s marketplace?
We all know that multimedia digital skills are no longer 'strongly advised' but crucial for journalists. That, ultimately, means that journalists need to continuously upskill to adapt to media trends.
Most budding journalists are digital natives, so they have an advantage when it comes to production and distribution. Storytelling skills are still the most important, and always will be.
What do journalists need to keep top of mind regarding the way a publication homepage is constructed?
Top of mind is newsworthiness, which is largely informed by timing and impact. Apart from identifying top stories, the decision to highlight stories on the homepage is often data-driven. Newsworthiness takes priority over popularity, however.
Trend-wise, news sites often have headlines for homepages and social that are distinct from their SEO headlines. A/B testing on homepage headlines are also common.
How can journalists stay abreast of what really matters to readers, while staying up to speed on what is happening culturally?
If you want to see the world the way your readers do, then you need to read and watch what they do – and spend time with them.
This is tougher to do when your readership is global and multilingual, but having multicultural friends and colleagues help.
What skills did you learn in the South African media environment that you still use in your day-to-day work in Hong Kong?
Digital disruption hit South African media way ahead of some more stable, developed markets. The need to innovate fast means South African journalists often have more digital skills than their counterparts in the first world.
I worked for a small, online publication in South Africa, which was able to embrace digital transformation faster than large, legacy publications. Working for a legacy media company that is now transforming rapidly, I find that my skills are still transferable and valuable.
For more information, visit www.scmp.com.
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Technology is changing the way businesses function, and newsrooms are among those applying the power of machine learning to make their work more efficient and effective. Read more in our article, How machine learning is changing the newsroom.