Why This Story and Why Now?
With 10 years under my belt, I played a critical role in a newsroom’s transition to digital platforms. My first day on the job, the printing press was firing on all cylinders, papers flew across the ceiling, and the smell of ink lingered in the hallways. When I left, they dismantled the printing press, sold it for parts, and our city newspaper was live streaming the news on YouTube / Facebook.
I’ve seen some thangs! Slangin’ my camera in the south in the most traditional media format of the local newspaper. There were pain points aplenty while we made the digital transition (pivot to video! they said), and many lessons learned when it comes to developing content strategy and creating value that satisfies business and audience needs.
Here are a few key takeaways from my time in the stressful, adrenaline pumped, soul fulfilling environment of the newsroom.
As newsrooms strive to adapt to digital, let’s approach this from a design thinking mindset, where a product manager ensures every task in a project is aligned with creating value.
“Ask a ton of questions to learn a bunch of things and then figure out how to communicate that in a way that influences the organization to focus on what matters most.”
As an assignment editor, I figured out what stories are important to our audience, defined the deliverables, and at times I strapped on a camera and delivered. Every pitch for a story started out with the question, “Why this story & why now?”
The newsroom was transitioning from a photo-centric workflow to incorporate video on digital platforms. Ultimately that meant project scope was expanding, while resources in terms of staff and budget were downsized.
It made content strategy / planning even more critical. Every story pitch, video and photo shoot had to work incrementally towards providing value for our audience.
Here’s a mini case study on a major project on how I effectively managed the product vision and roadmap to earn the newsroom an Emmy.
Why this Story, Why Now?:
The Fight for Amendment 4
Problem Space:
It’s 2018 in the state of Florida, where a felony permanently strips your ability to vote as written in the Constitution 150 years ago. Roughly 1/4 of the nation’s disenfranchised felons live in Florida, yet voters had the chance to change that in the upcoming election with Amendment 4.
It would automatically restore the right to vote for people with prior felony convictions after they’ve completed their sentences. This includes prison, parole, and probation. It does not apply to people convicted of murder or felony sexual offenses.
White men make the majority of convicted felon population in Florida, but Black men are disproportionately impacted where 1 in 5 are unable to vote.
“I have children that go to school here in Seminole County and I can’t help them in any kind of way of saying who would be over their agenda here at Seminole County school board.”
- Davion Hampton, convicted felon / returning citizen
Business Viability of the Story:
As a news publication, our product/service is to provide relevant information that is valuable to our audience in order to achieve KPIs such as subscribers and engagement (video and article views).
Value: Help voters in Florida make informed decisions in the upcoming election. Ballots typically have a 1-2 sentence summary and this story provided in-depth context behind the issue to help voters make an informed decision.
Placement Within the Market:
Timely distribution on print, web, and mobile audiences targeting voters in Florida in the weeks leading up to the election.
Hosted a film screening and panel discussion in Seminole County. The event was free and accessible to the public.
Result:
Sourced, interviewed, and documented residents directly impacted by the amendment.
Davion Hampton - convicted felon / returning citizen, unable to vote.
Desmond Meade - convicted felon / returning citizen, unable to vote. / resident of Florida Rights Restoration Coalition.
Mario J. Hicks - convicted felon / ran for city commissioner.
Francis Oliver - Sanford resident (Seminole County) / Historian
Deborah Myers - convicted felon / returning citizen / restoration restored at a clemency hearing.
Planned and implemented sprints:
Production consisted of photo / video shoots in various locations.
Script writing, implemented revisions as we adapted to source interviews.
Post-production editing.
Earned an Emmy in government / politics reporting.
To make a valuable outcome you must fall in love with the problem
Being a journalist has its pain points, but I loved it. I probably revised this video edit a gazillion times, incorporating feedback from editors / stakeholders. A story done well has the ability to make meaningful impact on the community it serves.
