Data - the "core" of digital transformation in journalism.

The process of digitizing journalism in Vietnam began more than two decades ago. Since then, the concept, strategy, and content of digital transformation in journalism have changed and been supplemented with many elements, becoming more powerful, diverse, and far-reaching.

Leverage Big Data for your benefit.

As media organizations strive to adapt to digital transformation, Big Data has emerged as a crucial tool. It is considered the "core" in driving and ensuring the successful digital transformation of journalism.

The big data that news organizations are aiming for encompasses a wide variety of information. This Big Data is manifested in the large volume of information, the speed of transmission, and the diversity of content and information types, providing invaluable insights and opportunities for news organizations to enhance content creation, attract readers, and build economic strategies for their media operations.

Once a sufficient amount of data is collected, along with the necessary tools and processes to analyze and process that data, news organizations can benefit in many different ways.

News organizations can leverage big data to gain deeper insights into audience preferences, behaviors, and consumption patterns. Analyzing large datasets allows news organizations to understand what content resonates with their target audience, enabling personalized content recommendations tailored to their readers' goals. According to the document "Digital Transformation Through Data," published by Deloitte and the Google News Initiative, this personalization helps news organizations build better content plans, enhance user experience, increase engagement, and strengthen brand loyalty.

Big data analytics also empowers news organizations, enabling them to identify new trends, topics, and formats that are most likely to attract audience attention. By combining artificial intelligence (AI) with the analysis of massive amounts of data, such as social media discussions, search trends, and user responses, news organizations can adjust their content strategies accordingly. This data-driven approach ensures that journalists can create relevant, engaging content that optimizes audience needs.

A research report by the Catalan Press Committee titled "Algorithms in the Newsroom: Challenges and Recommendations for AI with Ethical Values ​​in Journalism" presents findings showing that news organizations apply AI to data processing in almost all stages of their news publishing process, from content identification and approach, image recognition, headline selection, and automated content production.

Source: Deloitte and Google News Initiative guide for news organizations on promoting data value.

Strengthen revenue generation strategies.

It can be asserted that big data provides news organizations with comprehensive analytical tools to track and measure the performance of digital data. By analyzing metrics such as page views, click-through rates, and social media engagement, news organizations can optimize their content distribution strategies. These insights help news organizations identify areas for improvement, refine their content strategies, and maximize the reach and impact of their digital services.

News organizations can also leverage big data to enhance their monetization strategies. By analyzing audience data, news organizations can identify potential revenue streams; such as targeted advertising, and content delivered to the right readers who are actively seeking it. Big data analytics also allows for precise audience segmentation and targeted advertising, leading to higher conversion rates, increased reader subscriptions, and higher advertising revenue.

The crucial issue is that, despite recognizing the advantages that data and big data can offer, not all media organizations have developed suitable strategies or successfully implemented activities to build and utilize databases.

Source: Research on newsroom algorithms by the Catalan Press Committee.

Therefore, to build a database, media organizations need to implement and invest in several key tasks. These include establishing mechanisms, innovating thinking, and applying technology to data collection in a robust manner, gathering relevant information from various sources, including social media platforms, website analytics tools, content management systems, and customer file management systems. This data must be integrated into a centralized repository, ensuring that everyone, from media leaders to reporters and technicians, can easily access and use it.

News organization leaders need to identify and invest in secure data storage infrastructure and powerful tools to handle massive volumes of information. Cloud-based solutions offer flexibility, cost savings, and the ability to scale storage capacity as needed. Effective data management practices, including data cleaning, standardization, and quality control, are crucial to maintaining accurate and reliable datasets.

Furthermore, it is necessary to invest in and apply advanced analytical tools and technologies, such as AI, including machine learning algorithms and data visualization platforms. Many media outlets in our country are now applying these tools and technologies in producing infographics, videos , news articles, and distributing them automatically to the target audience, thereby optimizing readership and ensuring improved content quality and distribution.

It can be said that in the digital transformation of media organizations, big data plays a crucial role, acting as the core in shaping content creation strategies, attracting audiences, and generating revenue. By harnessing the power of big data analytics, media organizations can gain valuable insights into their readers, thereby segmenting their audience, optimizing content distribution, and enhancing efforts to improve the economic viability of the media industry.

Requires a comprehensive approach.

Building an effective big data system requires a holistic approach. It involves robust data collection, integration, storage, analysis, and visualization, along with security measures and ethical and appropriate data governance.

Understanding and mastering big data is crucial for the digital transformation of news organizations, enabling them to maintain competitiveness, deliver personalized experiences, and adapt to the evolving needs of their readers.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/thoi-su/du-lieu-hat-nhan-chuyen-doi-so-bao-chi-20230620211226972.htm