Good news for news industry - IFRA conference

Several speakers noted that the current crisis offers an opportunity that encourages publishing houses and newsrooms to undertake changes and stimulates creative thinking. We are experiencing the arrival of a new kind of mindset. Delegates heard stories of news publishers acting as motivators of their audiences and “injecting the newspaper into the society”, to quote keynote speaker Ravi Dhariwal, CEO publishing of Bennett Coleman, publisher of The Times of India, who spoke about the importance of the brand as one roof for all channels.

The conference provided an international programme under the lead of Reeta Meriläinen, (editor-in-chief, Helsingin Sanomat, Finland, and Dietmar Schantin (Newsplex director, IFRA, Germany).

Main topics of discussion included: how to master the new challenges in the newsroom organisation, workflows, integration, cost optimisation through joint newsrooms and outsourcing, human resource issues, cooperations with trade unions, multimedia training, new technologies for the newsroom and ways to implement them.

For more information about the eighth International Newsroom Summit and conference summaries, go to www.ifra.com/newsroomsummit.