The Editors’ Lab

Concept
Based on the concept of mutualisation, the goal is to put together editors, start-ups, developers and engineers in order to provide new tools to the community of news providers. Different media will share new ideas and development costs for specific operations or applications. They cooperate with GEN acting as “project coordinator” for: – innovative journalistic tools – specific developments within current CMS – new applications for tablets – virtual events. 
Objectives

The Editors’ Lab gives the possibility to editors:

  • to be more pro-active about technological issues
  • to work together in order to define a common project or service or application
  • to save money compared to stand-alone development
  • to make money with a new mix news/advertising/paid-for model
  • to create innovative tools for users, viewers and readers.
The most important goal is to empower editors-in-chief and senior news executives during this shift from traditional news to digital news.
Who is involved?
The Editors Lab aims to break down the barriers between three groups which are not used to working together:
- firstly, editors-in-chief, online editors, community managers and innovative journalists.
- secondly, developers, engineers, start-up managers.
- thirdly, representatives of the marketing and advertising departments.
How it works?

GEN will work with innovative editors, bringing them together to work in small groups (GEN workshops) of five to ten people. Five steps are defined for developing a new service, tool or application:
1) The group defines its needs and focuses by writing guidelines
2) The group meets engineers and developers in order to specify the guidelines
3) GEN launches a “call for development” to its technological partners
4) First tests and feedback from editors.
5) First implementation in newsrooms involved in the project. 

The GEN Editors’ Lab has already started its activities. It will present its first services and applications ready to be used at the annual conference of the Global Editors Network in 2012.

First workshop
The journalistic tools that are developed must be very practical: they have to answer to real needs suggested by the editors and the newsrooms. For instance, one of our first workshops will be focused on the online live coverage of events: – how to really adapt online third party live blogging application to the needs of editors and journalists? – how to share experiences and developments to develop new live blogging and online live coverage tools?
Antoine Laurent the GEN Deputy Director, is in charge of the Editors’ Lab. If you are interested by the Editors’Lab or by our first workshop, please contact him and you will be answered by return mail.
First announcements after the launching
- According to Xavier Vidal-Folch, GEN President, “The Editors’ Lab is based on the concept of mutualisation : our goal is to put together editors, start-ups, developers and engineers in order to provide new tools to our community of news providers. As a major project within the Global Editors Network , the Lab will help news media to get more readers, users and advertisers through unique journalistic tools and innovative services.”

- Peter Barron, Director, External Relations for Google in Europe, Middle East and Africa, said, “The Editors’ Lab is a forward thinking initiative that focuses on working together to develop new and sustainable approaches to digital journalism. We’re pleased to be supporting it”. Google will provide financial support to help set up the Editors’Lab of the newly created Global Editors Network.”

- Antoine Laurent, as Director of the GEN Editors' Lab, said that one of his objectives is to call “innovative editors and smart developers in order to work in small groups about topics as the coverage of the Olympic Games, cooperative journalism in crisis situations or geolocalized news… Different media will share new ideas and development costs for specific operations or applications. They will cooperate with GEN acting as project coordinator and the process will save money compared to a stand alone development.”

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