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Modern journalism is changed. The new media wave has brought more possibilities to join our world with us, whether it is ready to sign an online petition, supporting a kickstart campaign, or sharing the news and entertainment with our social media circle.

There’s a new goal for today’s journalist: Do not advocate for just one reason, motivate your readers to take action.

Recently, during the Ashoka Future Forum, we heard from some of the world’s most prominent media influencers that the current business model of journalism has broken out; How to get readers, viewers, and listeners to buy; And the modern audience has to work on the conditions they care about.

Ideas that are Worth Sharing

It used to be what was used to absorb new information. The Future Forum co-sponsor Knight Foundation has rightly said: “Democracy flourishes when people are informed and engaged.” The business model of Ted Talk was floppy. Or, perhaps more accurately, it was not just sold.

Executive Director of TED Media, Jun Cohen said, “The biggest thing about TED was that the TV network rejected us.” His product – the lecture was considered “very intellectual” for TV. Even in the event of failure, Cohen knew that Ted Talks wanted to see a broad audience, so Cohen and his team turned to online channels, without knowing how they would be funded – because of the spread of goal ideas. It was not earning money, not making money.

Cohen understands the inner truth of human nature: People want news that makes them feel powerful. What TED was offering was a new kind of information; a sort of idea was the leadership that could challenge the audience to see the world separately.

Once the TED brand was established, and great ideas were shared with millions of viewers, then people wanted to be part of the action. They started demanding a seat in the room – Participating in conferences became an experience of people who pay.

“While there is little question that future news will not be free,” Rebecca Greenfield of The Atlantic wrote, “The big question is how many readers are paying.”

This is not an easy question to answer, but based on the story of Ted’s success, it’s more than we think.

Old-School Journalism is like Really Bad Parenting

At least David Bornstein—the mastermind behind Dowser.org, the New York Times “Fixes” blog, and the new concept of journalism-
think of the new concept of Bourstonstein’s view of modern journalism in the forum, he sat down in the room.

Journalism of old school, he said, is like a parent who points out the shortcomings of his child on the breakfast table every day, hoping that doing so will help his child to become a better person.

“You will not do that!” He told the audience. “We should not even be in journalism. Society will be better when you will show it where it is wrong, and how and how it can be improved.”

The mission of the solution journalism is to produce “harsh and compelling reporting about the response to social problems.” Solution journalism is about showing to readers what the society can be and how it can reach it, not where it falls short. This hope and ultimately, inspire action.

Journalists have tried classically for a piece of this elusive engagement with a lousy news bias. He has tried to put hearts with stories about poverty and pain but failed. We get burnt by the bad news. It’s time for journalists to motivate the forward movement, upward among their readers.

Bornstein said, “Journalism is the only business that has not responded to the change in consumer taste.”

Here’s the Rub: The User Experience

So today the most significant question related to the media is still made: “How will you get an audience to take the next step, and is it justified to do that?”

If people are ready to pay for solutions journalism and new ideas, then it is not only suitable for the next takeover of the audience, it is also a viable business model. But among the traditional journalists still, suspect that readers will be ready to give money first place. After all, when we are prepared to spend $ 3.50 (or more) on coffee, it can not be said about the news too.

In the coming years, media consumption will be more about growing on opportunities to turn a passion for social pleasure into action, and the audience will take advantage of this experience. Jonathan Wells, the publisher of The Christian Science Monitor, believes that five years of line news reporting will be about “building communities around intentions and sharing opportunities,” and adjusting a variety of new models of engagement would be required. Subject areas and reasons

In some cases, we will not have to wait five years. A new breaking news platform Ryot.org allows readers to “create news” by adding articles to each article (donating, signing petitions, sending a tweet, contacting the legislator, etc.). These “action box” allow readers to take immediate action when compelled by a news story on the site, thus cutting the intermediate steps of online search for relevant reasons for support. This model appears to be working: RYOT is becoming a primary news source with impressive traffic and surprisingly young, dedicated readers after nine months.

The name of Esquire’s “Americans of the Year” in RYOT 2012 is the brainchild of David Darg and Bryan Musser – who has spent time all over the world in the form of disaster relief workers and filmmakers. With his passion for giving voice to the inauspicious citizens, Darg and Musur created a new platform that empowers readers to make an impact, referring to global nonprofit works.

“News and action are the next steps in the future of journalism. There are solutions for almost every major social issue in our time, and bringing us closer to the technology, it is difficult to understand why all the news does not come, take action. Muszer says. ” RYOT is shaking things; They are interrupting the traditional model of journalism to create new pathways for direct audience engagement. Solution journalism at its best.

Nicholas Reville, co-founder and executive director of the Participatory Culture Foundation, says that as social media campaign sites like Kickstarter, Indigogo, Change.org and soon as a socially focused platform developed, Lies the touch with the reasons we care about most.

“People do not like surprises,” Revil said, paying attention to people’s tendency to join a campaign on a site, in which there is a more real experience, and that is in the user’s comfort zone, rather than that they care. About an unfamiliar site Engagement is often limited to activism: “liking” or “sharing” something because it is a low-risk action that does not come with attached stars.

Acting Out

So how do we fight it? Activists and lawyers can execute the meaningful campaigns of the package “in a simple, easy way,” which means action? The sad truth of the matter is that in the advocacy of modern times, audience engagement is very much related to branding and online experience. As the engagement opportunities become more accessible and more efficiently than ever before, these significant media are up to Maven – like Bernstein, Cohen, and Wells, whom we rely on as the champions of reasons, but independent, thoughtful In the form of thinkers – online opportunity to take action in the real world to guide us through this sea.

Media companies will have to understand that “if we build it, then they will come.” This is a big deal for the web. Now, this is about moving the model about what the consumer wants, and how to distribute it.

Of course, in the end, we determine which campaign or brand or experience is given the most attention. We choose the causes we want to support. We can reduce the full campaign, which is less “crowded.”

As socially conscious media consumers, we need to demand news that gives us a glimpse of how we can change the world. If we want solution journalism, then we have to ask for it (and we will have to open our pockets … we cannot tolerate).

Ashoka Future Forum Jonathan wells

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