Media outlets, butterflies or chameleons
Juan Manuel Lucero leads the Google News Lab, one of the key programs of the Google News Initiative, which aims to work with newsrooms and journalists on editorial and technological innovation projects. His background is in digital marketing, but throughout his working life he wanted to be more involved in journalism. He was a technology columnist for Telefe and Radio Mitre in his native Córdoba, and after taking part in a digital postgraduate program organized by Google in 2012, he stayed connected to the company. "I spent three days writing an article called 'The chameleon or the butterfly' about the transformation of the media, about whether the future would be that of a chameleon that simply changes the color of its skin or that of a caterpillar that goes through a deep change until it becomes a butterfly," Lucero recalls in his unmistakable Córdoba accent. The job they gave him, heading a team that is 80% journalists of all ages and nationalities, is a challenge with no pause: "we want to create the best programs to work with media outlets and journalists on their innovation projects and on the tools they use, which often change fast." Lucero says that "ten years ago there was very little awareness of that need, very little interest in digital," but that has changed drastically in recent times.
What has your experience training journalists been like?
There is a clear recognition of the need for continuous training because of the challenges digital poses for professional horizons and tools. Access to technology and connectivity may vary, but the big challenges for journalists are quite similar in every region of the country. We have seen fabulous examples of journalistic innovation in the north, the south and the center of the country. They are driven by great journalists with an enormous desire to innovate, who, despite the limitations, say "never mind, I can do it." And in that sense, training is fascinating because it is a path of exploration for everyone. At News Lab we are working on a live training project to reach more places and to get to all journalists on a recurring basis.
There is a clear recognition of the need for continuous training because of the challenges digital poses for professional horizons and tools
How many newsrooms did you train in 2018, and what is the goal for 2019?
In two years we have trained more than 11,000 journalists, 10,000 of them in Argentina. That covers almost 80 newsrooms in 18 provinces. It has been a thoroughly federal effort. We have tried to reach different cities at least once a year. We have looked for ways to stay in touch through newsletters and videoconference training, and we have allied with partners that let us reach journalists and media outlets in different places.
How much did Google invest in the media in 2018?
The Google News Initiative has committed 300 million dollars globally, with three main pillars: elevating and strengthening quality journalism (actively fighting disinformation, since 70% of people cannot tell real content from fake); working with the media industry and helping it build new business models; and boosting technological innovation inside newsrooms. This is carried out through products (News, Analytics, Ads, Trends, Insights), alliances with key players in the industry (FOPEA, ADEPA, FirstDraft) and specific programs such as News Lab, whose main goal is training.
Which Google tools do journalists use most?
Analytics plays a fundamental role for every outlet. It gives a map of what is happening with visits, content and how they are valued. Another tool that is growing is News Consumer Insights, which cuts the information down to the minimum and the journalist's interest up to the maximum. It is a tool for detecting which content is valuable and what share of the audience may at some point become a subscriber. Another relevant one is Trends, because it provides the electrocardiogram of audience interest and an X-ray of desire: what people want to know, when, how much, at what moment. It gives a great level of detail on what drives interest in a piece of journalism. What a user had in mind, what they decided to search for and what they did next, where they went to find that information.
The Google News Initiative has committed 300 million dollars globally to elevate and strengthen quality journalism in the fight against disinformation, to work with the media industry and help it build new business models, and to boost technological innovation inside newsrooms
What can you tell us about next year's projects?
Next year's elections will pose an enormous challenge for the quality of information, an event that can serve as an engine of innovation in many ways. On the technology side, it means strengthening the skills of journalists and citizens to avoid disinformation. We are already working with all the players in the industry to form a coalition that lets us build, together, a solid project against disinformation. One that gives citizens access to the highest-quality information for making decisions, that is collaborative and that helps build greater trust in news brands. The idea is to train journalists across the country together with FOPEA, not only in tools but also in the fight against disinformation. Another focus is strengthening the role of women in newsrooms, and we are producing research on female leadership in the media. A third project aims to understand how entrepreneurship in media is being taught in the region. The idea is to put together a curriculum for building more sustainable media outlets. The other pillar is the YouTube funding program, 25 million dollars invested in transforming video production.
One of the big problems of today's media ecosystem is disinformation. Can you offer three practical tips for spotting and reporting fake news?
Following the approach of FirstDraft, which Google helped develop, you have to take the time to look at an image in its full extent. See it as large as possible to detect anomalies or details that do not match the story being shared. Also, if you are on a computer or phone, use the right-click option and "search Google for image" to see whether the image is current or from another date. That solves the great majority of problems with photos that are fake or belong to another moment in time. There is an important point here: we as citizens have to take control of the responsibility that comes with sharing information, an image or any other content. That is why it is essential to do those minimal checks. The third point is to identify the nodes of value in our network, meaning the people we regard as reliable sources of information. We have to be very careful about what we share and what information we use in that exercise. That part of citizen literacy is central to helping tell quality sources from those that are not. That is why, when breaking news happens, YouTube goes live and gives priority to recognized brands. We are very confident that quality journalism is the journalism of the present and will be that of the future.