How the WSJ and Dow Jones plan to build a digital-first newsroom

Almar Latour, executive editor at The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones Newswires and Marketwatch.com, leads the project of building a global, digital-first newsroom.

Here are excerpts from a Q&A he did with the company’s public relations staff about the changes:

WHY DID WE HAVE TWO NEWSROOMS TO BEGIN WITH?

We had two separate units, one focusing on professional real-time readers, the other a daily newspaper. Each had its own revenue stream, its own news agenda, its own team, and even its own headquarters and bureaus around the world.  The two organizations did not coordinate very well, if at all. Reporters from each news teams would cover the same news events, talk to the same sources, compete for the same news.

HOW AND WHY DID DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION BECOME A PRIORITY?

In the digital age, traditional borders between our businesses disappeared. All stories are digital, some are print. We have to practice “total journalism”: Tell our stories, break news, offer our unique analysis in the most suitable way for any platform, at the most suitable time for all our global users.

WHAT SPECIFIC MILESTONES HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED THIS PAST YEAR?

We have a single global news management team for all our platforms under Gerry Baker, our editor-in-chief. We’ve also refocused our coverage on core areas, routing more talent and resources to areas such as Markets, Central Banks, Economy, Technology, Politics and Policy.  We are recruiting the best journalists in their field.

WHAT ARE YOUR MAIN GOALS FOR THE YEAR AHEAD?

Create a  unique, global, 24/7 real-time news organization that serves both consumers and professionals anytime, anywhere. To do that we have to strengthen our global network of expert reporters and editors.

Read more here.