Converged newsrooms - An inevitable trend

In the context of digital transformation and the rise of artificial intelligence, traditional journalism is forced to change to adapt and survive. In that flow, the converged newsroom model has become a strategic trend in reorganizing journalism activities, not only in terms of technology, but also in terms of thinking, people and operating model.

Converged newsroom model. Illustration: AI

Converged newsroom is an integrated content production model, where news is edited and distributed simultaneously on multiple platforms and media: Print, electronic, social networks, radio, television...

Instead of being divided into separate departments, this model focuses on a “Central News Desk” - where topics are planned, human resources are coordinated, and synchronous implementation is planned.

The emergence of converged newsrooms is an inevitable result of the trend of technological convergence as well as changes in the way the public receives information, especially when the public can more easily access news sources through smart technology devices.

In the book “Press and Media, Different Approaches” published by the Information and Communications Publishing House in 2022, Dr. Tran Ba ​​Dung, former Head of the Professional Department of the Vietnam Journalists Association , emphasized what needs to be done when building a converged newsroom: First, it is necessary to change the mindset in organizing information. With a converged newsroom, the person in charge will proactively coordinate information channels, prioritize breaking news to push to mobile, then to the website, run news sections on television, publish products on print newspapers, etc., always taking into account the need to pull readers from one information channel to another, making information “live many life cycles” on many platforms.

Second, linking departments and functional groups operating independently at the press agency to form a unified entity. Press agency leaders need to change their mindset and build appropriate production processes on multiple platforms. Restructure and reallocate the workforce. This is a very important step in evaluating labor and paying salaries associated with job positions at the press agency.

Third, build a team of professional journalists with strong character and clear professional ethics. Journalists need to be trained in many skills, able to work with different media, each member of the editorial board is not a specialized individual but must work in a team.

Reporters in the traditional convergence trend need to be ready to create content suitable for smartphones and tablets; know how to shoot videos , record audio, post-process..., and upload audio and video files online.

Fourth, change the way of writing news and articles for a convergent newsroom (multi-window information). Replace columns of dense text with short articles, in-depth, multi-dimensional information, giving readers many approaches, paying attention to interweaving between the elements: Short content (text) - photos (high resolution, closely related to the title and content of the article) - tables, information boxes (help readers read quickly).

The information given to readers must be the most valuable information, the most complete information, using many forms of illustration so that readers immediately understand the content of the story.

For local Party newspapers, the construction of a converged newsroom faces many challenges. Most newspapers are operating with a traditional model, with a small workforce, limited budgets and weak technological infrastructure. The transition to a converged model often encounters difficulties such as: Lack of personnel with multimedia skills; outdated network infrastructure and technical equipment. The lack of distinction between content editing, media orientation and technology can cause information to be duplicated or distorted when processing multiple platforms.

Local newsrooms are still organized in a “fragmented” way: Reporters write for editors, then for technicians - it is very difficult for an individual to do multimedia without support and coordination. Lacking a “Central News Desk” to coordinate content in a multi-platform direction, “turning” 1 topic into 3-4 formats, this makes it easy for even capable reporters to “swim alone”…

To realize the convergence of the newsroom at the local Party newspaper, it is necessary to have a strategy that is “affordable and feasible”, to establish a trial convergence team, starting with a group of elite reporters specializing in multi-platform work, who are not simply “people who know how to shoot videos”, but are people who are capable of telling a journalistic story in many different forms. The newsroom is no longer fragmented in terms of technology - content - communication, but is reorganized in the direction of: “one topic - one group - multi-platform”.

At Thai Nguyen Newspaper, in the process of building a converged newsroom, the Newspaper has built a mobile reporter team, a multimedia reporter team, this is the right step to build a core team, then expand to the entire newsroom reporter team. For the editing stage, data is processed centrally at one point, then distributed to the final products.

In fact, after more than 1 year of operation, the effectiveness has been remarkable, information processing time has been shortened, publishing speed has been increased, content value has been maximized, while spreading and interacting have been increased, limiting social networks from "taking the lead" or distorting information.

Along with that, the Editorial Board has increased the opening of short-term training courses on skills, expertise, and convergence journalism, focusing on training in filming, photography, editing, graphics, content writing, and image processing skills.

There is a policy of prioritizing investment in equipment and integrated CMS management software for the newsroom, implementing coordination with major newspapers as a "content satellite" to take advantage of technology, organizational experience and spread local content to the national scope.

Newsroom convergence is an irreversible trend, but convergence is not a miracle. For local press, especially Party newspapers, this is a long journey, requiring step-by-step, support, and adjustment. If well-organized, convergence is not only a technical model, but also a bridge that brings local press closer to readers, while clearly affirming its role in the flow of modern journalism.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/xa-hoi/202506/toa-soan-hoi-tu-xu-huong-tat-yeu-3e7232a/