The 主播大秀鈥檚 Future of News project is intended to make sure that we look beyond our daily output to keep abreast of innovation and new ideas in the news business; it鈥檚 intended to help us articulate for ourselves a sense of where we鈥檙e going in what is obviously a very fast-moving world for news; and it鈥檚 intended to provide a menu of ideas for the 主播大秀 when we come to make the case for the renewal of the Royal Charter.
We are setting out to ask what audiences will want of the news in 2017, 2022 and 2027. We are looking at the future of news through three interwoven strands: technology, stories and people. What will new devices, networks and platforms enable us to do? How will we report and tell stories and, what, indeed, will count as a story? And, where and how will people live - what will they want and expect from their news?
The aim, plainly, is not to provide a definitive or limited answer to the question of what will be the future of news. Instead, we want to start a discussion 鈥� amongst ourselves, with our audiences, with people across the industry we work in. The Future of News report will sit alongside a patchwork of different ideas and opinions, some from within the 主播大秀, many from outside. We have started interviewing a long list of people externally. We have invited newspapers, television and digital media to participate. We are drawing ideas from everyone from Vice to the ONS, Birmingham City University to Twitter.
We are not giving ourselves a great deal of time. Stanford University in California has kindly agreed to host us for two weeks, where we will hold a series of seminars, meet with some of the leading new media businesses, collate the interviews and information we have to date and set out a framework for the Future of News. We will look to draw the ideas together in a first draft by Christmas. We will then host a day to discuss the thoughts, findings and challenges raised by the Future of News towards the end of January.
The number of people who have come up with ideas 鈥� and really good ones 鈥� has been impressive and encouraging. We want more. And, to be clear, no question is too obscure, eccentric or heretical. The Future of News project will force us to test some of our working assumptions. It will, I hope, prompt us to try new things 鈥� a fair few small ones and a handful of big ones. Predicting the future is, of course, a 鈥榖old鈥� business. We don鈥檛 know when we start the day, what will lead the news that night. But looking hard at what the rest of the world is doing, thinking through what people might want, questioning the way we鈥檙e set for the future, that is a worthwhile and valuable endeavour. I hope that you鈥檒l pitch in. Please submit an idea or leave a comment below.
James Harding is Director, News and Current Affairs