Johnston Press is to train journalists on how to publish content more effectively on social media in a bid to accelerate digital growth.
The company has announced the launch of a new ‘digital academy’, which will involve JP’s editorial teams across the United Kingdom.
The initiative has been entitled ‘We Are Digital’, and will support and promote the development of video and shared content in the group’s newsrooms, with a particular emphasis on improving capabilities of publishing content on social media.
Thirty digital editors, editors and reports from across JP have been involved in drawing up the new training programme.
The company says a number of its titles have seen growth in online traffic increase by as much as 300pc through the use of Facebook.
There was also a 25pc year-on-year increase overall across the group’s websites between April 2015 and April this year.
The move marks what JP terms an “evolution” from its Newsroom of the Future scheme – which has seen a shift from traditional newsrooms to journalists working across different titles within the same region.
Frank O’Donnell, director of digital content for Johnston Press, is leading the project.
He said: “This is a project being led by our journalists for our journalists, and every single person in the business has a role to play in making this work for us.
“As an industry, we are all aware of the constantly changing landscape around digital, and the goal with We Are Digital is to continue driving change and benefit across the short, medium and longer term. There is certainly more to come on it.”
The new scheme comes after the company relaunched 15 websites in a rolling restructure affecting titles including the Scotsman and the Yorkshire Evening Post, pictured above.
Jeff Moriarty, chief digital and product officer for Johnston Press, said: “We Are Digital is a hugely important editorial project for 2016. It follows our continued investment in digital products across the group; with 15 newly launched, multiplatform optimised sites this year alone for our largest titles.
“We have seen tremendous digital growth across Johnston Press over the past year as a result of this continued investment, with a 25pc year-on-year increase in monthly unique users from April last year, and are confident that We Are Digital will further bolster our brands’ development online.”
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Effective/annoying
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The odd tweet isn’t going to save this company. Share price is now 33.5p.
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With all this growth, investment and inspiring leadership, it’s a pity that JP’s websites are so atrocious. Share price at an all time low this morning, I notice, and market capitalisation at £35.5m. Not good.
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This is a prelude to closing some papers. Staff got an email alluding to as much last week
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Instead of We Are Digital, how about We Are Clueless?
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It’s a good idea but 10 years too late.
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It won’t make any difference – they still can’t make digital pay. JP have spent so much time and money desperately trying to entice young people onto their websites, they’ve totally fotgotten about, neglected and lost the older readers who actually bought papers – and bought them for extensive community news, BMDs etc How many JP reporters actually go out – on a weekly or daily basis – into their “patch” to get off-diary stories now?
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Now here’s the thing, my Johnson weekly bangs out stories on social media, which are then shared by local amateur pages, thus pulling the rug from under sales of the paper (the thing that generates the wages) on the Thursday. The paper does not have a clue about protecting its copyright and is therefore doomed, probably in the short to medium term.
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More and more work piled on to the ever-diminishing number of journalists. Is thing another move to tackle the stress they are all subjected to? Reality check – Shares at 35p, or 0.7p in old money. The suits continue with their grave-digging exercise.
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@ Sad: I think you mean seven shillings. Written as 7/-.
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Onlooker. No he was right. JP shares are approx 0.7p.
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NO.. Sad means 0.7p before the 50x consolidation in 2014. JPs usual smoke and mirrors trick. Lions led by donkeys!!! They have tried and tried to make digital pay and cant do it. The defination of insanity is trying the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. I wonder if we could get Ashley committed!!
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Johnston Press is once more clutching at straws. Having taken decisions over the past 15 years which have effectively destroyed their print media, it is slowly dawning on them that their only hope is digital.
Sadly, their stupidity means it still hasn’t dawned on them that it is impossible to make money from digital. They rattle on about an “increase in traffic” on websites but fail to address the big question: how do you turn that traffic into revenue.
As other commentators have highlighted, in terms of its share price, JP is a basket case. I feel desperately sorry for the staff but wonder why they’ve meekly gone along with the stupid decisions which have been nothing more than nails in the coffin of the dying newspaper industry.
Some time ago Ashley Highfield said the focus was on increasing the share price. It is now lower – an all time low – and will continue to fall. A zombie company with zombie staff.
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Ok Harry the past management I totally agree were like so many companies, spent money foolishly ( the real cause ) and so here we are.
Now that was history !
Today we are writing history the share price only matters if you need to sell, what Highfield is achieving is making others catch up ie Trinity,
my money is on JPR being topdog in the digital stakes, no doubt there, debt also being repaid, new investments like purchase of the i. all help.
The share price will grow, not quickly but when debt is further reduced thanks to print and when dividend rumours spread think 3/5 years so buy now as many as you can.
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Ian. Highfield, the man who saved JP? But Leicester won the Premiership. I admire your optimism and I hope for the sake of the poor sods still working for JP you are right.
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How does Ashley keep his job when he has put so many people who actually know the newspaper business out of work?
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ok dont post it
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Great piece, Ian, about JP’s rosy future. I hope you and your wee sweetie mice are living happily on Planet Zog.
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Share price now down to 32p Ian. 0.64p before the x50 move. I await your response.
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To not me – The JP websites are atrocious due to the fact that around half the journalist of two or three years ago have been committed to the scrap heap. Those remaining have had their workload vastly increased. And the fact that quality doesn’t seem to figure in the JP psyche doesn’t help. You a make an excellent point.
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Maybe the suits should go on an intensive course on how to run a company and treat people like human beings.
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Any word of JP resolving the journalists’ streets issue? Thought not…
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Stress issue!!
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