The ABC’s of Technology Training in the Newsroom

 

Jennifer Small

Asst. Editor Information Services

San Antonio Express-News

jsmall@express-news.net

June 1998

 

Is your newsroom using computer technology to its fullest potential? Computers in the newsroom can be used for a variety of things. Reporters and editors can use online databases to background stories and add greater depth and context to their coverage. They can look for experts on the Internet. They can locate statistics or government reports. They can lurk on newsgroups or listservs looking for story ideas. They can manipulate databases and spreadsheets to generate new stories. They can file stories from remote locations. Reporters and editors who are effectively using technology will do all of these things and more. Unfortunately, many journalists have not recognized the power of technology. Why? Because they have not been adequately trained. News librarians can help. As technology gurus and information professionals, we have the power to link reporters and editors with the technological tools they need to advance in the coming years. By training, we will help reporters become more comfortable with computer-assisted reporting and research. How do you go about setting up a technology training program in your newsroom?

 

Assess the newsroom’s needs and the resources available for training

Assessing Needs

 

 

1) Focus groups.

- Keep group diverse.

- Include individuals from different departments.

- Use group to assess technology in the newsroom.

2) Technology Training Surveys.

- Ask questions that need answering.

- Develop precise questions and response options. Clarity is key.

- Length. Keep it short.

- Evaluation of the results. Consider tabulation options while developing the survey.

 

Assessing Resources

1) Hardware.

- Does everyone have access to a PC or a Mac? Are people sharing computers?

2) Who will train?

- Draw on in-house experts: news librarians, corporate trainers, reporters.

3) Time.

- How much time do you have to work as a trainer? Is training a priority for your department?

4) Money.

- Is there money available to hire a trainer? To purchase software or hardware?

 

Build Missions, Goals, and Objectives

Mission Statements

Create a mission statement for your proposed training effort. The mission statement should address your overall purpose in training. Is it your mission to reach every reporter and editor in the newsroom or are you focusing on a particular group? Are you focusing your training on information resources or have you decided to develop a full-fledged computer-assisted reporting and research (CARR) program? Why is training important to your newsroom?

Following is the mission statement for the Express-News News Research Center:

"Develop a training program that will increase both the computer competencies and the information gathering skills of the newsroom to ultimately improve the content of the paper."

Our focus group delineated 10 Core Computer Competencies for journalists in our newsroom. These skills are diagrammed below. The skills build off each other. Although everyone will not reach the same degree of efficiency in some of the more advanced skills, all should be familiar with the utilities.

 

Goals and Objectives

- Be realistic in outlining your goals.

- Start small. Stay focused.

- Provide details for achieving goals and objectives.

- Create deadlines.

One of our goals is to prepare the newsroom for the new CCI pagination system. We will train everyone in the basics of Windows NT and Word by January of 1999.

Commitment from above

1) Justify your training efforts

a) Changing nature of the news business. Technology is pulling journalism into the 21st century. The way we do the job is changing.

b) Other people are doing it - and they are winning awards. Dig up some CARR examples from a competitor to have in hand if necessary.

c) Training builds morale.

 

2) Present your plan to the editors

a)Use charts and graphics highlighting where training is needed in the newsroom. Draw from your evaluation of the technology survey results. Use studies that others have done:

No Train, No Gain: Continuing Training for Newspaper Journalists in the 1990s - Freedom Forum - Call and ask for a copy(703) 528-0800

Media in Cyberspace III - The third in a series of studies done on journalists’ use of the Internet.

http://www.mediasource.com/study/CONT.HTM

b) Stress that training will improve the content of the paper.

3) Train the line editors. Show them the power of technology.

4) Get editors to lead from above. Have the ME write a letter supporting the training effort.

Developing the Trainer & Developing the Training Class

Developing the Trainer

A good newsroom trainer......

1) Understands how adults learn. Adults can be auditory (learns by listening), visual(learns by seeing), abstract (learns by thinking), or experiential (learns by doing) learners. Many adults use more than one of these models while learning. To reach your whole audience, incorporate all of these models into your training.

2) Teaches journalists NOT librarians. Always remember your audience. Provide information useful to them. This may not be the same information that is useful to you.

3) Gives the trainee the keys. Always let your student sit at the computer. Active learners will have greater retention.

4) Asks questions. Don’t lecture! Keep people actively involved - whether they are writing responses to your questions or verbally responding.

5) Takes time to learn from others. There are a number of listservs, books, handouts from other trainers. Talk to other trainers. You can get a lot of ideas. Some useful listservs:

NETTRAIN - Send message to NETTRAIN@LISTSERV.ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU.

Quick Training Tips - This is an email message sent monthly by Loretta Weiss Morris <loretta@panix.com>. Email her to get on the list.

6) Recognizes fear and insecurity.

7) Publicizes training opportunities. Use newsletters, a corporate intranet, meetings, bulletin boards.

8) Is excited about technology and journalism.

9) Recognizes and rewards progress or achievement.

10) Remembers those in the field or those who work at night.

 

Develop the Training Class

Things to remember while teaching:

1) The "Rule of 3’s" - Tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, tell them what you told them.

2) Have clear objectives. People like to know what they are going to learn and how it is going to help them get their jobs done.

3) Pick a location. Preferably a spot away from the reporter’s desk or editor.

4) Be creative. Make the classes fun. Use games or quizzes. Take advantage of a journalist’s competitive nature.

5) Use visuals. Remember, some people have better recall after both hearing and seeing something you’re talking about.

6) Be prepared with examples.

7) Try to group classes with similar skill levels.

8) Consider teaching in teams.

9) Handouts. Always give people something to walk away with.

10) Homework. It keeps people thinking and hopefully forces them to apply some of the skills that they’ve learned.

11) Focus teaching on tasks not skills. Use real-life examples that mean something to journalists.

Investigative Reporters & Editors (IRE) and the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting (NICAR) have several handouts and books available that provide examples of CARR and training information. IRE: http://www.ire.org NICAR: http://www.ire.org/resources/nicar/

12) Be timely. This is a deadline business. End the class when it is scheduled to end.

Evaluation

Feedback from your trainees is crucial. Positive feedback can only improve your performance in the next class.

Follow-Up

Timely yet extremely important final step. Meet with your trainee after a class. Check on his or her progress. Review their homework assignment. This is a great way of reinforcing what was taught. Some students may require more follow-up than others.

HOMEWORK:

Determine ways that you could make technology training more effective in your organization. List several things you could do to make training a greater priority in your newsroom.

Additional Sources of Information:

The following books, articles, web sites may help you in your training efforts:

- Newsroom Technology Training - Nora Paul (npaul@poynter.org) and Debbie Wolfe (dpwolfe@sptimes.com) are developing a guide to newsroom training. Contact one of them for availability.

- Computer-Assisted Reporting: A Practical Guide. Brant Houston. Contact IRE or search Amazon.com.

- Micro-Computer Trainer. Newsletter. Write Dept. S97, 696 Ninth St., P.O. Box 2487, Secaucus, NJ 07096-2487 or fax (201) 330-0163.

- "Training and service: the killing fields of small newspapers, community newspapers finding it difficult to provide the proper training to their staff members." J. Sean McCleneghan. Editor & Publisher. November 8, 1997.

- "Computer-Assisted Reporting; computer analysis has become an important tool for gathering and reporting news." Bruce Garrison. Editor & Publisher. July 21, 1997.

* Training and Development Resources http://www.flash.net/~gizmo/hcode/training.htm

- "Four models for training in computer-assisted journalism." Kathleen Hansen. Poynter Report Summer 1995.

- Internic: 15 Minute Internet Training Series. The series was discontinued at the end of May. But the training series is still available. http://rs.internic.net/nic-support/15min/

I found the following on Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com). Many relate primarily to Human Resources training. Some of the skills and information, however, would be useful to any trainer.

The Adult Learner: A neglected species. Malcolm S. Knowles

Making Training Stick: A Collection of Techniques to Follow Up, Follow Through and Reinforce Training. Dora Johnson and Barbara Carnes

The Art of Teaching Adults. Renner

Evaluating Trainer Effectiveness. Leslie Rae

Active Training. Mel Silberman

Evaluating Training Programs. Donald L. Kirkpatrick

PARTICIPANT EXERCISE

Developing a training program in your newsroom can be a time consuming yet extremely valuable and necessary task. Today we will discuss how to not only develop training programs but also become more effective trainers. After today’s session, you will see how one newspaper chose to address the following questions that every potential trainer must ask. (**Like so many actions in the newsroom, training requires teamwork. So be thinking of those in your organization who you would draw on for support in your efforts.)

How would you have responded to these questions?

1) How can you assess the training needs of your newsroom?

List someone you could include in your effort:

 

 

2) List some potential goals and objectives for training in your newsroom:

List someone you could include in this effort:

 

 

3) How would you obtain management’s commitment to training?

List some of the key people you would talk to:

 

 

4) A good trainer is one who...

List someone you can ask about training:

 

 

5) A successful training session is one where ...

 

 

6) How would you solicit an evaluation of your training?

 

 

7) How would you try to follow-up with your trainees?


1998 News Divison Program
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