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Innovation Management in Canadian Newspaper Newsrooms: Identifying Blocks and Enablers to Facilitate Digital Change

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Innovation Management in Canadian Newspaper Newsrooms: Identifying Blocks and Enablers to Facilitate Digital Change Innovation Management in Canadian Newspaper Newsrooms: Identifying Blocks and Enablers to Facilitate Digital Change by Joanne Steventon A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Journalism School of Journalism and Communication Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario © 2016 Joanne Steventon ii Abstract Local newspapers have become fixtures in communities as archivists, watchdogs over people with power, and as trusted sources for information and analysis. This thesis examines the challenges newspapers face as they reinvent themselves as digital media companies. When a legacy company attempts to innovate, it will encounter a number of predictable forces that will stand between it and change. Innovation blocks are associated with newsroom culture, processes, and physical assets that have become so engrained over time that they inhibit new ways of doing things. By identifying what blocks exist, specific strategies can be developed to overcome them. This theory was applied to three Canadian newspapers that had just gone through significant innovation projects. The research provides insight into what factors blocked each of these projects along with specific strategies that were used to enable change. iii Acknowledgements For many of us working in legacy news organizations it was exciting when leaders first shared their “digital first” strategies. It meant that we would finally start meeting our potential as digital content producers. But change was slow - and I wanted to understand why. I returned to Carleton University in the fall of 2014 to complete my master’s degree and attempt to answer this question. The following report is the result of that effort. This thesis benefited from the assistance of two esteemed advisors. I owe an enormous amount of gratitude to Professor Aneurin Bosley who was instrumental in crafting the research design and helping to set up case study research at both the Ottawa Citizen and Toronto Star. An equal amount of gratitude is owed to Professor Chris Waddell who stepped in as advisor for the final four months of the project. Professor Waddell provided consistently thoughtful feedback and revisions on my chapters, often within hours of receiving them. Professor Waddell’s assistance in putting this project together in its final few weeks was invaluable. Professor Klaus Pohle deserves special mention for having been an un- official advisor. Professor Pohle indulged me in many conversations about my topic and had many helpful tips along the way. This project would not have been possible without the co-operation extended by the Ottawa Citizen, Toronto Star and La Presse. It was an incredible privilege to have access to these newsrooms during such an important period in their organizational history. Interview participants were generous with their time iv and displayed an unexpected level of candor. Their honesty will hopefully help other legacy news organizations make similar digital transitions. I would like to extend a special thanks to Carl Neustaedter and Andrew Potter, formerly of the Ottawa Citizen; Paul Woods at the Toronto Star; and Yann Pineau at La Presse. As well, thank you to the incredible Annie-Claude Genereaux at La Presse who achieved an incredible feat by scheduling 13 interviews for me over the course of three days. Thank you Megan Doyle and Anne Wiltshire, two former bosses and mentors, who each shared important texts with me during the research period (both are listed in the Works Cited section). It would have been difficult to get through the lonely times that seem to come with thesis-writing without the company of a few good friends. Thank you to those who grounded me, but also to those who indulged in talk of post-thesis adventures. Hinal, Nirav and Fiona thank you for the beautiful place to stay and warm meals in Toronto. Thanks mom for always having a spot for me to work at your dining room table and dad for the last-minute editing work; Stuart for your technical support; John and Jane for the regular sanity checks; and Payton and Gilmour for being the best homework buddies a girl could ask for. Finally, I am filled with the deepest gratitude to my husband, Sam who has been nothing short of a prince through this. Having the opportunity to spend nearly two years in academia has been a true gift. It would not have been possible without your unwavering support, encouragement, accounting expertise (see chapters four v and five), and patience. I bet you never thought you would have a journalism thesis dedicated to you. Well, now you do! vi Table of Contents Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 1 Canadian Newspapers Focus on Digital ...................................................................................................... 3 The Transition from Ink to Screen ................................................................................................................ 5 The Significance of Emerging Technology ................................................................................................. 7 Digital Native Competition has put Newspapers to the Test ............................................................. 9 A World Without Newspapers. What’s at Stake? ................................................................................. 11 Value of Study ..................................................................................................................................................... 13 Chapter Two: Methodology ............................................................................................... 15 Chapter Three: Theoretical Framework ....................................................................... 23 Disruptive and Sustaining Innovations .................................................................................................... 24 An Environment of Perpetual Change ...................................................................................................... 26 Potential Block #1: Pathology of Sustained Success .......................................................................... 28 Potential Block #2: Fear ................................................................................................................................. 30 Potential Block #3: Print Centric Thinking ........................................................................................... 32 Potential Block #4: Process ........................................................................................................................... 34 Potential Block# 5: Technology .................................................................................................................. 36 Overcoming the Blocks ................................................................................................................................... 37 Strong Leadership ........................................................................................................................................ 37 Building Culture at Ground Level .......................................................................................................... 38 Moving Past Cognitive Blocks ................................................................................................................. 39 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................ 40 Chapter Four: Ottawa Citizen Re-Imagined .................................................................. 41 Preamble ............................................................................................................................................................... 41 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................... 43 A Brief History of the Citizen ........................................................................................................................ 44 Postmedia Era ..................................................................................................................................................... 46 The Four-Platform Vision and Implementation ................................................................................... 48 Assembling the Digital Quartet .................................................................................................................... 49 Product Champions .......................................................................................................................................... 50 Voice of Mobile ................................................................................................................................................... 52 Tablet Issue #1: The Invisible Platform ................................................................................................... 57 Tablet Issue #2: Silos and Staffing ............................................................................................................. 57 Tablet Issue Number 3: User Experience ................................................................................................ 58 Print Re-Imagined: The Comics and Puzzles Fiasco ..........................................................................
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