Digital Media in the KQED Newsroom – Eliminating the Barriers

Media influencers gathered at the Microsoft Silicon Valley campus for an insightful conversation about technology and digital media in the newsroom with KQED. Participants included Hari Sreenivasan and Scott Shafer, along with Microsoft employees. Hari is an online and on-air correspondent for PBS News Hour and Scott is the host of The California Report at KQED Public Radio.

Hari and Scott shared their views on how digital media has transformed the way news is disseminated and how people absorb it. Simply making information available to people is not enough anymore. Today’s audiences expect to be able to choose what they read, and most believe they should be able to contribute content and opinions, too. This shift, or the social media revolution as it is sometimes referred to, is not the death of journalism; it’s a new age democratic movement that emphasizes some of journalism’s key values: transparency, honesty, and giving a voice to the person who doesn’t have one. Traditional outlets now face competition not only from other outlets, but also from individuals sharing on social media platforms.

However, the viral nature of hard news has added an additional layer of challenge to a reporter’s job - reporters need to bring a new perspective and context to news to stand out. These changes have enhanced the role of ‘watchdog journalism’. Traditional media outlets are now also responsible for ensuring that the ‘news’ is accurate.

Journalism in its purest form is about witnessing an event and recording it for others to see and read.

KQED is the Bay Area’s flagship public media organization; it receives the majority of its annual support from individual donors who help bring diverse programming and services to the Bay Area.