Jtm-sv-program

JTM/Silicon Valley: Innovation, democracy and a new ecology of news

How will technology innovation support journalism and participatory democracy?

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Creating a framework

We're creating a framework -- a conceptual mashup -- for journalists, technologists and entrepreneurs and others to convene groups over one to three days. These groups can invent, share and pursue ideas, projects, systems or solutions for sustaining journalism that matters in a connected world. You can get a feel for the process we're planning by reading this page. Format details won't be settled until closer to April 30. But we're already posting definite breakout topics. To see what they are, and add your own, click on the MAIN TOPICS PAGE. To suggest specific program elements, discussions, speakers or panels, email jtm@mediagiraffe.org

AGENDA

(all events at Yahoo Conference Center unless noted)
(A van shuttle will run between the hotel and Yahoo)

Wednesday, April 30, 2008: Understanding the context

• Purpose: Who’s here and what do we need to know to have a productive time together?

Registration

4:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Located in the Yahoo "URL Cafeteria"
coffee/tea/juice etc. available (offsite parking details will be emailed shortly before the event)

Orientation Afternoon

4:15 p.m.-4:30 p.m. -- A short welcome to NewsTools2008 and who is here

4:30 p.m.-5:45 p.m. -- Exploring the "Value Network of Journalism"

• How do we understand the resource flow of information, money, the intangibles and the tangibles?
• Looking back -- What was it before 2000?
• Looking forward -- What is it now -- what could it be?

(A Newsroom Mapping pre-event group will be meeting March 17-18 in Berkeley to develop this presentation. Email jtm@mediagiraffe.org if you would like to join it.)

Outcome: -- Journalists and technologists gain a shared framework for talking about the creation/definition of news and how it has been/can be augmented by technology. The "Value Network Maps" process provides a way to talk about the movement of information and money from a systems perspective. New tools for the news ecology can be described, designed and articulated within this shared system view.

5:45 p.m.-6:30 p.m. -- Reception/informal discussion

Dinner 6:30 p.m. -7:30 p.m.

Buffet style, in the Yahoo URL Cafeteria, with plenty of opportunity for networking

Disruption and Reinvention 7:30 p.m. -9 p.m.

• After-dinner briefing and discussion on the five-10 technologies most likely to disrupt -- and reinvent -- journalism, news and democracy; including briefings on the latest experiments in non-profit journalism, citizen journalism and the technologies they are using. These may feature new uses, new business models, new management practices and new ethical standards made possible by the new technologies.

Outcome: Journalists will get oriented to technologies that are and have potential to change things. Understanding a few core technologies helps build a 'shared understanding' can among journalists, technologists and others at NewsTools2008. The result: A foundation for more complex conversations about specific technologies and design ideas.

Following: Shuttle to Domain Hotel; informal discussions may continue there.

Thursday, May 1 -- Possibilities Day: Explore/designing ideas/projects

• Purpose: To explore a wide range of possibilities at the intersection of journalism and technology

• Organizing question: "What can we create at the intersection of journalism and technology to support the well-being of democracy?"

• Structure: We'll use "open-space technology" to organize our activity. In addition, the NewsTools2008 wiki includes a sessions TOPICS PAGE for describing and scheduling breakout working sessions. Breakout convenors are responsible to "call the session" as participants call make the day's agenda.

Session breakout topics already posted cover how the concept and practice of journalism may adapt to search and social networks, crowdsourcing, diverse, fragmented audiences and digital, participatory politics. Other topics may include social networks and the treatment of user identity, preferences, privacy and trust. SET UP A BREAKOUT TOPIC.

Continental breakfast and networking 7:30 a.m.-8:30 a.m.

(convene in the Yahoo conference center, cafeteria building, second floor)

Open Space 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

• Throughout the day, session topics will begin and end at times established by the convenors. A buffet lunch will be available from approximately noon to 1:30 p.m. Sessions will be asked to break by 12:30 p.m. and not resume before 1 p.m.

DailyMe.com

Luncheon buffet sponsored by DailyMe.com / noon-1:30 p.m.

Briefly during lunch, sponsor DailyMe.com founder/CEO Eduardo Hauser will demonstrate and discuss the company's versatile platform for news customization.

Open Space 1:00 p.m. - 5 p.m.

• Throughout the day, session topics begin and end at times established by the convenors.

Closing -- What did we do today? -- 5 p.m.-5:30 p.m.

5:30 p.m.-- Vans depart for The Domain Hotel.

5:45 p.m. -- 6:45 p.m. -- Reception at the Domain Hotel

Dinner, seminar and UnTalent Show -- 6:45 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

• A buffet-line and open seating will allow participants to select ongoing discussion/project creation partners.
• An "Untalent Show." Consider this entertainment. This is the evening opportunity to unwind a bit, get out of your analytical mind and stretch your thinking. Any participant in NewsTools is welcome to present or perform -- serious or whimsical. It tends to be unexpected and creative and brings a whole different quality into the next day's deliberations.

Following: Networking and discussions can continue at the Domain Hotel.

Friday, May 2 -- Design-Build Day: What's your next step?

• Purpose: To provide space for taking action on initiatives which have life beyond this event.

Continental breakfast and networking 7:30 a.m.-8:30 a.m.

8:30 a.m. - Public-interest tools / two reports

The power of the network is opening up new vistas for journalism in the public interest and two examples of this are Newstrust.net and Sunlight Labs. Our day starts with two back-to-back, 30-minute conversations:

• Sunlight Labs -- 8:30 a.m. -- Widgets and data mashups bring new transparency to the flow of dollars and influence in Washington, D.C. Bill Allison, senior fellow at the non-profit Sunlight Labs, will demonstrate their latest open-source tools to allow any website to provide (a) graphical, real-time, interactive data on the relationships among campaign contributions, "earmarks" and federal grants -- dropped into context and (b) Always-updated voting records of congressmen and senators.

• Newstrust.net -- 9:00 a.m. --Finding and rating the news you can trust -- a sharing network grows. Fabrice Florin, executive director of the non-profit Newstrust.net, will unveil operating and planned enhancements to the premier site for finding and rating quality news, including partnerships with some major news website which are moving Newstrust toward a level of traffic as to make its members' ratings more reliable and consistent.

Organizing the day 9:45 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.

Marketplace of Ideas -- Project or discussion breakout leaders each get two minutes to explain their initiative and concept-design-build workplan for the day.

Agenda Creation -- The space will be formated so projects can break out and "hunker down" for a whole day or for a 1/2 day in addition to those who want to get work done in shorter break out sessions.

We recommend for those with half-day and full-day work efforts to think about when you might talk about critical issues -- such as legal or back-end technical stuff or business models. That way, those who may contribute to those specific aspects will know when to drop by.

Project and Breakouts 10:15 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Lunch will be available for a two-hour time period during this day -- it is a working lunch. There will also be snacks, coffee, tea and juices available mid-morning and mid-afternoon.

Project Reports and Closing reflection 4:30 p.m. -5:30 p.m.

What has been accomplished? What's next?

NO HOST DINNER . . . DINNER ON YOUR OWN

• This is the evening to join the NewsTools2008 No Host Dinner. We'll prepare the venue at a nearby Silicon Valley establishment, you pay a la carte' and join other NewsTools collaborators or your specific project workers. This may be the perfect opportunity to invite that additional friend or co-worker who could not join us for all of NewsTools. Or take dinner on your own elsewhere.

PRELIMINARY AGENDA FOR Saturday, May 3 -- Bringing it on Home

Saturday represents a joining of two rivers involving both journalists and technologists. On Saturday, some NewsTools2008 participants will continue their work; at the same time, the [Northern California chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists(SPJ) co-hosts with us "Innovations in Journalism Expo 2008," a showcase for tech breakthroughs in business, technology, media and democracy.

Participation in the JournaTech Expo and all SPJ discussions on Saturday is included at no charge for NewsTools2008-registered participants. For information on renting an expo table, or to attend just on Saturday, CLICK HERE. To go directly to Saturday-only registration, CLICK HERE.

NewsTools Saturday purpose: Provide the time and space to:

• Take the NewsTools2008 design/build work further
• Share concept/design/build results with others
• Connect with more regional working journalists

NewsTools 2008 project work continues 10:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.

• Those NewsTools2008 participants who still have work to do on their concept/design/build projects from Thursday and Friday can resume their work in the Yahoo center. These projects, initiatives and seedling companies can continue hacking.

(Box lunches will be available for from 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. There will also be snacks, coffee, tea and juices available mid-morning and mid-afternoon.)

Briefings and the next steps 3:30 p.m.- 5:00 p.m.

• At day's end, participants will all gather for final briefings and next-step announcements from NewsTools2008 project workers. SPJ attendees will be invited to hear and react to the final briefings.

One-day registration for Saturday only available

NewsTools2008.org participants are automatically enrolled in the day; a one-day registration (including box lunch) for Saturday is [To go directly to Saturday-only registration, available from SPJ.

Journalism That Matters background

The NewsTools2008 approach -- linking journalists with a constituent group with a focus on a particular task -- is similar to five other convenings around the country as the Journalism That Matters collaborative, the most recent at The George Washington University in August. There our focus was on journalism and education, because we deliberately chose a time and venue alongside the annual convention of the Association of Educators in Journalism and Mass Communications (AEJMC).

Valley, Yahoo roles

The news business is now being driven more than anything by technology, and that's why the Journalism That Matters collaborative and the Media Giraffe Project chose to locate this event in Silicon Valley, seeking to involve the leadership of the venture-capital, entrepreneurial and technology/developer communities. Yahoo! is a participating sponsor in order to help convene a dialog about the future of journalism and participatory democracy.