Insights Gleaned from the Online News Association Conference of 2017
In October, the Online News Association (ONA) conference took place in Washington D.C., attracting approximately 4,000 journalists from around the globe. The focus of the event was primarily on digital and technical aspects of storytelling, but it also emphasized the importance of traditional journalism skills such as interviewing, writing, copy editing, proofreading, and fact-checking.
Fox News was among the main exhibitors, partnering with news organizations to improve verification and fact-checking, aiming to combat the overused term of 'fake news.' Google, on the other hand, sponsored and ran the popular coffee bar at the conference.
One of the highlights of the conference was Amy Webb's annual 'tech trends' presentation, which attracted a large audience. The audience took extensive notes and even recorded videos, as Webb shared her top 10 tech trends for the coming year.
The fight against news over-saturation and fact verification was a prominent topic at the conference. FirstDraft, an organization focused on verification and fact-checking, has found a home within the Harvard Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center and recently launched an online verification course for journalists and journalism educators.
The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) and Google News have been partnering for the past two years to train journalists and journalism educators on using tools for reporting, research, and fact-checking.
The conference also offered one-on-one sessions with Fox News' gurus on tips and strategies to boost clickability and audience readership, which were in high demand. For smaller outfits, Instagram was particularly useful for generating more audience. Caren Roblin, group director for Sierra Nevada Media Group, offered tips on Instagram usage.
In addition to traditional journalism, the conference featured conversations about terms like 'drone,' 'journalism 360,' augmented reality,' and 'virtual reality.' Journalism 360, or 360 video, offers numerous multimedia storytelling opportunities. Google Cardboard and Google Street View can be used together to tell stories from another angle.
Companies such as Esri, Storyful, Medium, and Viafoura were present, offering services for various levels of journalism. Viafoura, for instance, creates audience chat portals and online communities to increase audience engagement.
Most exhibitors at the conference were technologists and startups, offering software to improve digital storytelling efficiency. Ron Yaros, a professor at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, is working with news organizations such as the USA Today Network to analyze data with the goal of helping journalists attract a bigger audience.
A list of all resources from the conference, listed by topic, provides an overview of what the online community is discussing. This comprehensive list serves as a valuable resource for journalists and journalism educators looking to stay up-to-date with the latest advancements in the field.
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