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Have We Got News For You...
Have you noticed the similarities between the skills needed in insight and those used in journalism? Journalism involves gathering and interpreting information and then presenting it in a way that makes people want to read it or listen to it. It may involve a report about a current event, or an important, long term investigation. So, what in that description doesn’t apply to insight?
Probably the biggest difference between insight and journalism (at the moment) is emphasis. In insight, the greatest emphasis is usually placed on research and analysis (which is equivalent to the role of the reporter). In journalism, the emphasis is on presentation, which helps to sell the product. Perhaps we could learn from this.
The journalistic role that might teach us the most is that of the editor. Their job is to stand back; look at the many, varied stories coming through; and decide which have the priority and should go on the front page. They see the bigger picture and express an opinion through the editorial section. Ultimately, the editor is responsible for circulation. If the paper doesn’t get read, what’s the point?
Individual expertise
There are also different types of editor. The main editor decides the priorities for the publication. Then there are sub-editors responsible for different areas. For example, there might be an economics editor and a sports editor. Perhaps the best example comes from The Economist. This has sub-editors for each region of the world, for business, for finance and for technology. Each one is an expert in their particular area. Again, we could learn from this.
Some large organisations have already recognised the role of the editor. Indeed, one major telecoms company has acknowledged both levels – overall responsibility for circulation, and individual experts for specific areas. The latter are responsible for building the bigger picture of their areas and deciding the priority of specific messages.
If the team has an intranet site for the distribution of insight, those editors can naturally take responsibility for the presentation and layout of each key area. When the Chief Executive suddenly cries out, “We’ve got a problem – I need everything we know about X” - the job of providing the information will typically be much easier (and probably already largely done) if there is an editor for that area.
Visualising how an editor in a major newspaper works (with regular meetings to review emerging stories and their relative priority) tells us something about how Insight teams should share what they are learning and view it as a part of the whole picture.
Two requirements of an editor’s role are consistency and longevity. If an area editor keeps changing, it’s hard for them to build a really deep understanding. Some insight personnel like the variety of working on different topics. But there is also great satisfaction in becoming an expert in a field, and in building relationships with key internal clients who learn to respect your expertise. So don’t shy away from this.
Whatever the size of your team, try allocating editor roles for key business areas (even though that role will rarely be full time) and see how much it increases your understanding of these areas – and the value you deliver to the business.
