--------------
By Shannon Firth
Journalists today must work harder, be more flexible and engage with their readers in real-time ways, says Peggy White, publisher of Double X. White spoke to a room full of up-and-coming journalists who gathered at the Americas Society for an IWMF networking event in October.
White said that the staff of Double X is constantly tweeting, blogging and actively listening to their readers. On Sunday nights, for example, the staff chats online with readers while watching Mad Men, mining the television show for the rich socio-cultural dialogue and references the show provides.
She warns that journalists must recognize that with the changing environment comes a changing role. Working nine-to-five for a single company is less of an option than it once was. Journalists must instead consider every opportunity, researching and pitching one story while composing another.
“It was a great event and great to hear from Peggy White,” said Deirdre Bolton, an anchor with Bloomberg TV. “Most people working in media are asking themselves what their field will look like in the next two to three years. Media, along with finance, is a field in transition. It was very useful to get one perspective on what the evolutionary path looks like.”
“I was curious to see how Peggy White and her team have done it. … [She] illuminated how closely they are able to watch and respond to the interests of their readers. They can track how many clicks an individual articles receives, and quickly hire writers to write additional and more in-depth articles on the most popular topics,” said Kylah Goodfellow McNeill, an assistant editor at St. Martin’s. “Journalism really does seem to be moving in a much more reactive direction, and Double X seems to really understand that. It will be interesting to see how this impacts other media industries, such as book publishing.”
The IWMF gathering brought together women and men interested in discussing the transformation in media and in learning how they can be at the front lines of this movement. The meet-up was hosted by the Americas Society and Council of the Americas, sister organizations devoted to education and dialogue, as well as social and economic development in the Americas. The organizations shared their lounge and lecture space for the event. Susan Segal, president and CEO, spoke briefly about the organizations’ missions.
Liza Gross, interim executive director of the IWMF, explained the IWMF’s mission: training, inspiring and promoting women leaders in journalism. Gross noted that in addition to honoring three women journalists each year – many of whom have been threatened, beaten, jailed and even raped for reporting their stories – at the Courage in Journalism Awards, the organization also fosters growth among journalists through its leadership workshops. And in order to tailor their work to journalists’ needs, the IWMF is sponsoring the Global Report on Women in the News Media, the largest international study on women’s status in the media, the results of which will inspire further projects.
Shannon Firth is a senior writer for Finding Dulcinea. She attended the 2009 U.S. Leadership Institute for Women Journalists sponsored by the IWMF.