Innovation in Journalism is Key

Throughout the three years we have been running the innovation journalism program, we have noticed how closely innovation journalism is related to innovative journalism, and how frequently they get mixed up with each other.

In theory, innovation journalism and innovation in journalism are not the same - one is about how to cover innovation in the news, the other is about new ways of doing journalism. But innovation in journalism gives leverage to innovation journalism, and may well be a condition for journalists understanding what it is.

Many newsrooms are extremely conservative environments, ruled by long-time traditions, where little innovation happens, and then only with great pains. But there are also innovative newsrooms, where new ideas are tested and implemented all the time. Probably a news organisation with a culture of innovation will have an easier time covering innovation issues in the news. Journalists will have better chances of understanding and reporting on the changes in the world around them, when these changes also occur in their own working environment. It can be challenging for a news room that rejects innovation in its own organisation to report on how ideas are transformed into new value in other organisations.

The Innovation Journalism program will be looking more into innovation in journalism. It is a topic of crucial interest for professional journalism today, there is an innovation ecosystem growing around it, and reporting on it is a good example of innovation journalism. Innovation in journalism is key for innovation journalism.