The Age Buy-vs-Build Debate in Media Technology PLUS Journalism.co.uk Discusses How Commercial Media Is Looking to Philanthropy and Crowdfunding

September 13, 2021

I could write my master's thesis on buy-vs-build issues especially around CMSes. It's a classic product management issue, and I have seen so many instances when the decision to build was driven by a handful of features, often features that weren't informed by strategic editorial or business goals. I have often said when consulting with organisations that they can 80 to 90% of the features they want with off-the-shelf solutions, and that the last 10% of features are often very expensive and strategically questionable. That's my experience, but The Fix has a good walk-through of a range of variables to consider when making buy-vs-build decisions.

We also have a good look at how small publishers in the US are navigating digital transformation decisions. In a lot of cases, it's not print-vs-digital but how to effectively print and digital, especially mobile.

On that point, a US newspaper is investing millions of dollars into iPads as it tries to convert its audience to digital.

The Press Gazette looks at an events platform that helped The New Statesman pivot its events business to digital, including smaller events like roundtables and networking events.

And Journalism.co.uk looks at the US trend in which commercial publishers like the Seattle Times but also large chains like Gannett are turning to philanthropy, crowdfunding and donations to pay for their journalism.

PLUS is your data as anonymous as you think it is?

Developing in-house digital solutions comes at a cost that is not always paid directly with money My favorite topic to be angry and disillusioned about when it comes to news products is custom content management systems (CMS). I have yet to meet a media product colleague that hasn’t been through a “we are building a …

While some major local news outlets are well along on a dramatic pivot from print to digital, many smaller newsrooms remain bullish on print, and some seem to be in no big hurry to build up their online presence.

Press Gazette has been reporting on British journalism without fear or favour since 1965. Our mission is to provide a news and information service which helps the UK journalism.

In this new series, we talk about the local news organisation that raises millions of dollars through crowdfunding and philanthropy. We learn about the conversations they have with donors to make this possible

Journalism is often considered the first draft of history, but what happens when that draft is written on a software program that becomes obsolete?

Nine’s mastheads The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age have launched a twice daily news podcast which will be available on smart speakers and podcast platforms.Titled ‘News with The Sydney Morning Herald’ and ‘News with The Age’, the three-minute podcasts will be presented by journalists, covering areas such as local, national and world politics, business, […]

Over 20 of Australia’s digital publishers have come together to form a new member association to support, connect and protect the interests of the publishers and audiences.The Digital Publishers Alliance (DPA) membership includes Agenda Media, Broadsheet Media, Concrete Playground, Future Women, Junkee Media, LADbible Group, Mamamia, Man of Many, Pinstripe Media, Private Media, Solstice Media, Schwartz […]

Researchers show how anonymized data sets are often anything but anonymous, releasing a tool that demonstrates how easy it is to pick you out of a digital crowd.

The publisher of the Chattanooga Times Free Press is investing millions of dollars in a plan to convert the newspaper's print subscribers to a mostly digital format.