Audience Thoughts From Simon Waldman’s Good Ideas in Media

This past January, PSFK held a Good Ideas Salon in London bringing together the most forward-thinking tastemakers, innovators, and experts from around the world to discuss key areas steering innovation and opportunity.  In addition the the good ideas presented, we wanted to hear what our audience had to say, so we’re doing a series of posts containing feedback and comments from the event sourced from blogs, magazines, and twitter.  We’ve distilled the commentary, now you tell us which is the best idea…

The day ended with a talk from Simon Waldman, head of digital at the Guardian. Simon spoke about the changes that are taking place at the newspaper – how they are embracing the web, communities and ideas like database journalism.

In the audience, Ben from Iris was inspired by the paper’s use of data:

Compared to its journalists, printing presses or offices you wouldn’t think that ‘data’ would be one of the Guardian’s most valuable assets. However many of their recent digital successes derive from a new principle for the once-traditional media company – ‘database journalism”. The database team collate all the information, reports and comments collected by journalists and readers, and share it in interesting ways. Here’s a great example.

John Willshire also reacted to the database journalism theme and pulled these quotes from videos of Guardian staff that Simon Waldman showed the audience:

“Database Journalism is about structure to data capture, building data sources over time, and publishing it, building tools for people to analyze them over time.” Simon Willison (Developer)

“It’s moving from keeping data internally to pushing the data out there to see what people can do with it…” Simon Rogers (News Editor)

“We previously served up just stats to people… but now we give the data and power to people to interpret it themselves is much more empowering.” Ben Clissit (Head of Sport)

Before his fingers got tired Andy Whitlock managed to share these thoughts on the subject too:

“Simon Waldman showed that the Guardian – who were hosting the event – definitely know what they’re talking about. Their plans to introduce ‘database journalism’, opening their research to the public so we can delve deeper than the article was very interesting.”

The theme of collaboration had been echoed throughout the day and it re-appeared in Simon’s presentation too, Suzie Shore noted:

“The Guardian’s Simon Waldman gave a great presentation on how his own organisation has embraced the digital era, requiring an altogether more collaborative and ‘open’ approach to working from the top down.”

John Willshire added:

“The new Guardian approach is including lots more content from other people featured in their spaces, but also letting the Guardian content roam free in the real world.

“Video clip: ‘The traditional role of the ‘editor’ has gone, there’s too much stuff. There’s also the blurring of the line between the producer & the reader…’ Alan Rusbridger (Editor-in-Chief);

“Moderating & curating is going to be a vital part of the Guardian’s future, which is an edict right from the top…Basically, newspapers are becoming open… working, data, info, even the new offices… all being built to be open…”