Newspaper & Mailroom
Just Published: Report on World Newspaper Congress, Editors Forum
Monday 29. October 2012 - Reinvent, rethink, relaunch, restructure - that was the transformative message delivered in presentation after presentation during the World Newspaper Congress and World Editors Forum, held in Kiev, Ukraine, last month.
“I have been in this industry for 40 years so I am a print person – but even if you have ink running through your blood it is the best time to be in this industry,” said newspaper designer Mario García, highlighting the multimedia transformation taking place in the industry.
Indeed, for the more than 1,000 publishers, chief editors and other senior newspaper executives from 88 countries attending WAN-IFRA’s annual press summit, there was no shortage of intense debate and pithy declarations about the industry’s key issues: press freedom, new business strategies, digital, rethinking journalism, audience engagement, social media, technology and more.
Exclusively for members of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), full executive reports on both the Congress and Editors Forum can be found on our website.
The executive reports of conference presentations is just one unique benefit for WAN-IFRA members.
Business strategy took centre stage at the events in Kiev, but as always shared the spotlight with today’s pertinent press freedom issues, particularly this year with the event being held in Kiev.
“There were voices that argued that Ukraine should be boycotted in view of its press freedom situation and other issues of concern,” said Jacob Mathew, President of WAN-IFRA. “But we at WAN-IFRA chose exactly the opposite path. We said we should spend time in Kiev, understand the situation, and show our solidarity with the local independent media. Instead of turning our backs to the long-suffering Ukraine, we wanted to embrace this great country that we believe has the strength to re-assert itself and regain freedoms that sustain democracy and human dignity.”
Quotes from the conference:
– “We’re completely restructuring the company – print to digital, sharing content, centralizing systems and services, and getting out of this idea of circulation,” said Greg Hywood, Chief Executive and Managing Director. “There was a false god of how many numbers are out there. It wasn’t a numbers game, it was an effectiveness game.”
– “It has been a huge success,” said Michael Golden, Vice Chairman of the New York Times Company, talking about its paid digital subscription plan. “This case is unique to The Times, however there are lessons other media companies can derive from our experience.”
– “Culture eats strategy for breakfast… Doing things to stand out from the rest is engrained in our culture, to try new things constantly so we can constantly evolve,” said Bill McDonald, President and Publisher of the Metro English newspaper in Canada.
– “We operate in a linear industry that is operating in exponential times. This is the new reality and we have to rethink the value proposition of our industry,” said Earl Wilkinson, Executive Director and CEO of INMA.
– “Social media is not just transforming newsrooms, it’s transforming the very fabric of society,” says Riyaad Minty, Head of Social Media for Al Jazeera. “We are no longer the gate-keepers, and we need to understand this shift so as to make sense of it.”
The 65th World Newspaper Congress, 20th World Editors Forum and 23rd World Newspaper Advertising Forum will be held in Bangkok, Thailand, from 2 to 5 June 2013.