Missouri Journalism Institute Envisions the Future of News

By Roger Gafke, Professor Emeritus & Director of Program Development
Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute
Missouri School of Journalism

How can newspaper publishers maximize their profitability? What do youth and adult users expect from online news sites? Can publishers meet those needs and provide quality journalistic content? How can a TV station respond to a local controversy about its coverage in a way that builds its credibility?

These are the kinds of questions a new advanced studies center for journalism at the Missouri School of Journalism is tackling.

The Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute, named for a 1927 graduate whose foundation^[1] provided a gift of $32 million to create the Institute, will dedicate its world headquarters as the signature event at the celebration of the Missouri School of Journalism’s centennial in September 2008.

The first class of Reynolds Fellows will begin their work at the Institute this fall. Each Fellow will work with students and faculty on a major research and development project in semester- or year-long residency.

The goal of the Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI) is to put the best minds in the world to work on journalism’s most perplexing problems – among them, employing the new technologies that are radically changing the ways people live, work and communicate. It will bring together on a continuing basis all of the players necessary to create and strengthen independent media and free markets: citizens, journalists, the professions, new technology experts, scholars, political and business leaders and non-government organizations.

Here are some examples of current projects:

• Using advanced mathematics, RJI staff examined expenditure patterns of newspapers to identify ways for publishers to maximize profitability. The conclusion – spending on news content pays off. The data have been reported in the professional and academic press and tested in the commercial marketplace.
• Another project has identified what users of online news sites want, and RJI is now advising newspaper and broadcast organizations on how to design and deliver content online that meets those expectations. The model has been applied and tested in six different media markets in the country. The experience shows that people make media choices based on the features of quality journalism.
• In partnership with a major national foundation, RJI has developed a tool to be used by community foundations to evaluate the communications in their communities. The assumption is that a higher quality communications flow leads to economic growth, expanded educational opportunities, better health service, etc. The resulting Community Quality Checklist can identify communication priorities in which those community foundations should invest as they work toward better life quality for their citizens.
• In cooperation with a local commercial television station, RJI is studying the impact on viewer loyalty and news production of a viewer advocate. The first major application of the ombudsman concerned a community-wide conflict about the fairness of a series of stories on whether immunizations caused autism. Ombudsman procedures brought together the conflicting parties and engaged them in face-to-face conversation. That led the station to present a follow-up program on the value of childhood vaccinations. This project has now demonstrated that a high-profile conflict can be worked out in a way that leaves most citizens feeling that the news got closer to the “truth” of the issue.
• The Institute is conducting a competition among MU students to develop new ways to present journalism on the Web using Adobe AIR software. Adobe is a joint sponsor for the competition this year. The Institute selected three semi-finalist teams last fall and provided up to $5,000 in project development funds for each team. The winning team will receive $10,000. The Institute expects to help the teams bring their ideas to market.

The formal dedication of the Institute’s headquarters will be September 12, 2008.

Roger Gafke can be contacted by email gafker@missouri.edu.