Reporting around the clock
Sophie Tarr | Oct 28, 2011 | Comments 0
- Go, go, go . . . Nationwide News MD Michael Miller, left, celebrates the launch of News24 with Sunday Telegraph editor Neil Breen, Daily Telegraph editor Paul Whittaker and News Limited Chairman and CEO John Hartigan
SYDNEY’S top-selling papers have transformed their newsrooms to round-the-clock operations.
It has taken just three-month to revitalise the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph with an initiative dubbed News24.
“We have united the talent behind our print and digital products through a ‘Superbench’, said Daily Telegraph editor Paul Whittaker.
“Its job will be to curate copy, multi-media graphics and packages across all platforms.
“We are better integrating our subbing centre, News Central. It means our web content will be of the same high standard as our
paper content.
“It will make News Central a multiplatform centre and a model for all News Limited.”
Mr Whittaker said many changes were “commonsense, and impose the sort of discipline and structure on our digital platforms that exists
in the newspaper.”
A new role of director of vision has been created to ramp up video content.
Reporters have iPads and iPhones to file faster from the field.
The papers have introduced a shareable electronic news list, or ‘menu’, to allow teams working on different platforms and sections to collaborate instantly, rather than waiting for news conference.
“We can track how much exclusive content we are producing, and it automatically tells us the percentage of certain types of content. That means the daily mix is monitored,” Mr Whittaker said.
The papers have doubled their early morning reporting resources from pre-June levels.
A multi-platform conference, led by editor-at-large Jeni O’Dowd, brings planning forward by two hours.
The midnight-to-dawn shift has been re-introduced “with a brief to reveal Sydney’s true underbelly”, Mr Whittaker said.
He also signalled a greater television and mobile presence.
The Daily Telegraph’s mobile site will launch soon.
