Brett Macfarlane

Shirky's Post Industrial Journalism Paper - in 21 Quotes

It's challenging wrapping your head around today's media landscape - not because there are too many changing dynamics, rather rarely does one exhaustively explore the subject.

Earlier this year the Columbia Journalism School and Tow Center for Digital Journalism released a 122 page paper called Post Industrial Journalism: Adapting to the Present.  Written by C.W. Anderson, Emily Bell and the seemingly omnipresent Clay Shirky.

The paper is a serious, exhaustive and joined up inquiry into what is the role of journalism today and what are the models that may exist tomorrow.

It is an exceptional piece of work.  A sober review of the state of the industry pulling together the full picture of what we each know in pieces.  A picture that only an outside party free from commercial/proprietary interest can clinically pull together devoid of salesmanship and jargon-ism.

The histories and functions of journalism and advertising have long been intertwined.   Thus it is imperative any self respecting advertising professional takes a proper look at the shifting dynamics.  It is too easy to look at the dynamics in fragments or superficially.

As it is an exhaustive look at journalism it is also exhausting to plow one's way through it. It has taken me weeks (though I've done some other stuff too during that time...)

Thus I've concentrated the 5 hour read to 5 minutes with my selection of the 21 most important quotes in this PDF: 

Download Post Industrial Journalism in 21 Quotes

What is compelling when reading the paper is any time they reference a journalism term, say newsroom, and you replace it with an advertising equivalent, such as agency, or journalist = creative, the points couldn't be truer.

The most resonant point that comes through repeatedly is that adding some digital technology to your existing process doesn't make you digital, you have to fundamentally rework your workflow to reap rewards.  Additionally, and lastly, at a time when many are just winging it you do need a workflow but allow the system or practice of its use to be hackable when benefits ourweight the restrictions of the workflow.

 

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My reaction to "Here Comes Everybody" by Clay Shirky

Columbia Journalism Report - Post Industrial Journalism

Clay Shirky: How we will read, and how we will publish

Critics, the Opinionated and Proofers Wanted

I've written a book titled Everyday Paris.

It is a cultural briefing on how to "do Paris as Parisians do."

I seek a few more people to give it a read and help me understand what is and isn't working before formally sharing with agents & publishers.

Why did I write Everyday Paris?

I've been a Francophile long before transferring in 2010 to one of Europe's top creative ad agencies - DDB Paris.  

Cultural observation has always been an obsession of mine and living in Paris is an “observaholic’s” nirvana.  It was a hobby and compulsion to endlessly share things I noticed or thought interesting as a sort of guerrilla ethnography, which people seem to quite like.

What compelled me to actually follow through with the idea for this book was a discerning friend advising a leading global luxury brand borrowed a passage of mine (without my knowledge) discussing Brie cheeses.  One evening he decided to read it out in Versailles Palace's Hall of Mirrors.  

Frighteningly, the occasion was a grand dinner marking UNESCO naming French gastronomy an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, packing together 650 of the good, great and Michelin starred of French gastronomy in rightful self-congratulation.

Surprisingly, rather than laugh, they applauded.  

So I've since written a cultural briefing that can be read on a plane or train to Paris.  It fits between your typical laundry list guide book/website/magazine and a breezy but individualistic expat novel.

Why does the world need this book?

There is a generation seeking to be informed and mindful travelers who have no shortage of tips and lists but struggle to break through the sterile bubble of passive check-list tourism to become authentic participants in the city and experience how its inhabitants live any given day. 

In other words, they seek to become temporary Parisians, and thus when in Paris wish to "do Paris as Parisians do."

Interested?

If you are interested in reading the manuscript before it is proves to be the next great publishing empire, or a glorious failure, send me an email or Tweet.

Contact me by Sunday March 10 ideally as my ambition is to have input by April 1-ish. 

If not you, please forward to someone you think might be interested.

Reward:

I can't offer much other than being part of the journey.  I did much the same for Alex Bogusky and John Windsor when they published Baked In, which was rather interesting.

If you are in the UK I will hook you up with some wine.  If elsewhere I'll arrange some suitable consideration/inspiration.  Of course once published you will brush with glory and get some special rewards if and when it takes off.