So what’s the solution? Getting leaner, meaner, and faster to pivot. Turning into a startup, in other words. Those words are the exact ones uttered by the editor of the Boston Globe, Brian McGrory, in a memo just published yesterday. The memo is a response to a recent company buyout and outlines a “very broad vision statement” for the paper’s future.
More Startup Culture, Less Legacy Culture
The memo’s plan includes four work groups, set to ponder set topics over a period of two months: Newsroom culture, workflows, editorial mission, and the business of journalism. Writing under the “newsroom culture” section, McGrory explains his understanding of the questions to ask: The questions are sharp, but the answers, as always, will rely on the specific situation at the Boston Globe and the relevant data points.
It’s Worked for Others
Staying small and sustainable by aiming for niche markets is a popular choice for successful media startups today, from Philadelphia-based Billy Penn to Breaking Media and its roster of seven verticals to cover the fields of law, fashion, finance, medical, defense, energy and government. Hopefully the Boston Globe can find a form of this approach that works for them. Image: Wikipedia
