The first was a word that loomed large in 2012 and will definitely feature prominently in journalism
circles next year too: Responsibility.
Yes, there’s been a lot of talk lately about the responsibilities and irresponsibility of news organisations. And that will no doubt continue, but I believe we will also see more discussion about the responsibilities of digital news users.
As I've said at both News:Rewired in London and 11th International Newsroom Summit in 2012 in Hamburg, it’s clearly not responsible - or sustainable - for users of any goods or services to expect something for nothing.
So, as we see traditional media’s share of advertising spend remain under pressure, responsible digital news consumers increasingly understand that contributing directly towards the costs of the news and information they rely on is simply right thing to do.
It’s likely to be widely predicted that, for news organisations, 2013 will be the year that they ramp up their mobile activities. In recent months, we’ve already seen occasions when news sites like the Guardian’s got more traffic via mobile devices than desktops.
With Santa likely to be stuffing thousands of tablets and smartphones into Christmas stocking this year, that’s likely to become the rule rather than the exception. Of course, for news organisations, the challenges are not only how to shift their content onto the increasing variety of mobile devices, but also how to take advantage of commercial opportunities that high-speed, affordable, mobile connectivity brings.
Finally, I think that there will also be a lot more talk
about Talent.
After several years of re-organisation and rightsizing of news operations, news executives are increasingly recognising that that their futures depend not only cutting costs and investing in new digital technologies, but also on attracting and nurturing talent.
Forward- thinking executives will not only be focussing on how to work smarter, but how to get the smartest people to work for or with them.
