Editors Focus on Making the Most of Resources

World Editors Forum Focuses on Making the Most of Diminishing Resources

For immediate release
Paris, 6 January 2009

Some of the world's leading editors will gather in India in March at the annual World Editors Forum summit to share their strategies for producing quality editorial content in difficult financial times.

As the global financial crisis is forcing newspaper companies world-wide to reduce staff and other resources, the annual Forum, to be held from 22 to 25 March in Hyderabad, India, will focus on the growing newsroom challenge of Doing More with Less.

Full details of the Forum, which runs concurrently with the World Newspaper Congress and Info Services Expo 2009, the annual global meetings of the world's press, can be found at http://www.wanindia2009.com

The events, organised by the World Association of Newspapers and hosted by the Indian Newspaper Society, are expected to draw 2,000 newspaper publishers, chief editors, managing directors, CEOs, and other senior newspaper executives at a time when the global financial crisis is putting additional pressure on newsrooms

The Forum sessions include:

- Tailoring your digital offerings to reader behaviour, which will focus on how news is consumed and read online and how editors can use knowledge about reader behaviour to adapt their online newsrooms. The presentation will be made by Iñaki Palacios and Francisco Amaral, Directors of Spain's Cases I Associats, one of the main consultancy firms for redesigning newspapers and reorganising newsrooms.

- Future of Journalism versus Future of the Newspaper, which is dedicated to the challenges of producing quality journalism in the digital age. A panel of editors will consider such questions as: Is quality journalism possible without a print edition? Is there a future for newspapers without breaking news? Are shrinking newsrooms the main threat to quality journalism? The panel includes Jaideep Bose, Editor-in-chief of the Times of India, James Orr, Online News Editor of The Christian Science Monitor (USA), Alan Rusbridger, Editor-in-Chief of The Guardian (UK), and Mahfuz Aman, Editor-in-chief of The Daily Star in Bangladesh.

- Integrated Newsrooms: New workflow, new storytelling, new positions, which will examine how newspapers worldwide have adapted to the 24-hour newsroom. The session will examine the new strategic jobs and positions that editors-in-chief must fill, the best practices for digital storytelling, and more. Speakers include Neil Benson, Editorial Director for the Regionals Division of Trinity Mirror (UK), Kate Marymont, Vice President/Information Center Content for Gannett (USA), and Marco Pratellesi, Editor-in-chief of Corriere della Sera online in Italy.

- Is Investigative Journalism Giving Up on Newspapers?, which will examine the impact of shrinking newsrooms on investigative journalism and its impact on the traditional newspaper role as watchdog of democracy. The session will feature Nick Davies, Senior Reporter for The Guardian (UK), Paul Steiger, Editor-in-chief and Founder of Propublica.org (USA), and Harinder Baweja, Co-Editor-in-Chief of Tehelka (India).

- Entrepreneurial Journalism: The Growing Influence of Online-Only News, which will examine new online ventures launched by former editors-in-chief who want to exploit online news delivery opportunities they believe are being overlooked by their former employers. Speakers include Rafat Ali, CEO and founder of paidcontent.org (USA), Frédéric Filloux, Editor, Schibsted International (France), and other speakers to be announced.

- Bridging the Digital Media Divide: The experience of emerging countries and why it will impact mature markets, which is dedicated to lessons from the world's fastest growing newspaper markets -- India, south Asia, China and Brazil and what newspapers in mature markets can learn from their experiences. Speakers include Rajesh Keira, Editor-in-chief of Times Internet (India), Walter de Mattos, Editor-in-chief of Lance (Brazil), and other speakers to be announced.

- More Women Editors-in-Chief Equals More Readers?, which will examine the role of women in the newsroom and the impact of female leadership on readership. Speakers include Ferial Haffajee, Editor-in-chief of South Africa's Mail & Guardian, Alexandra FÃderl-Schmid, Editor-in-chief of Der Standard in Austria, and other speakers to be announced.

- Shrinking Newsrooms: Is editorial outsourcing the solution?, which will examine the benefits and drawbacks of editorial outsourcing, as well as its limits. Speakers include Stella Dawson, Editor, Treasury News, Reuters (UK), Arun Jethmalani, CEO of ValueNotes (India), and Tony Joseph, CEO and Founder of Mindworks Global Media Services (India).

- Personalized News: What is possible today, and tomorrow, which will focus on niche and personalized news delivery to provide readers with just the news they want. Speakers include Freddy Mini, CEO of Netvibes (Frances and USA) and Jan Bierhoff, Director of ECDC University in The Netherlands.

- Visual Journalism: The rise of infographics and non-narrative news, which will examine the increasing importance of visual reporting. Speakers include Joerdis Guzman Bulla, Art Director of Welt am Sonntag (Germany) and Robb Montgomery, Editor-in-chief and Founder of visualeditors.com (USA).

- How to Set Up a Web TV Team Within Your Newsroom, a do-it-yourself session featuring Matt Kelly, Associate Editor of Daily Mirror and mirror.co.uk (UK), Anders Refnov, Web TV Manager for Ekstrabladet (Denmark), Espen Egil Hansen, Editor-in-chief of VG (Norway, and Jessica Mayberry, Project Manager, Video Volunteers (India & USA).

- Ethics: Is digital news changing journalistic standards and values, which will examine some of the primary concerns facing editors in the digital environment: who checks news submitted by readers? Should comments be moderated before or after they're posted? Is online advertising blurring the line with content? Can digital media maintain the traditional principles and values of quality journalism? Speakers include Howard Finberg, Director of Interactive Learning and News University at the Poynter Institute (USA), Gerfried Sperl, Media Consultant and Columnist (Austria), Stephen Pritchard, Readers' Editor, The Observer, and President of the Organisation of News Ombudsmen (UK), and Philippe Karsenty, CEO and Founder, Media-Ratings (France).

For full details, including registration information, a list of participants, social events and more, consult http://www.wanindia2009.com

The Paris-based World Editors Forum (http://www.worldeditorsforum.org) is the organisation of the World Association of Newspapers that represents editors-in-chief and other senior news executives. WAN, the global organisation for the newspaper industry, represents 18,000 newspapers; its membership includes 77 national newspaper associations, newspapers and newspaper executives in 102 countries, 12 news agencies and 11 regional and world-wide press groups.

ENDS

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