It’s not about more information. It’s about better.
The news should be there to serve democracy and help people make informed, rational decisions. But nothing grabs our attention more than sensationalised news and emotionally charged political opinions.
The problem is that when political language seeps into the stories and opinions we consume, we’re driven to ignore the facts and believe what we want to.The same principles apply to internal communication. In its most basic sense, it’s there to serve the people and inform them about their busines so they make good decisions based on a shared purpose and vision.
But pay me a pound for every time I’ve heard that IC is spin by a fancier name and I could quit my day job.So, how do we strike a balance between the two worlds of information and entertainment and create better content for sceptical audiences that gets consumed?
Host Elle Bradley-Cox chose this theme as her World Changer for the 2022 report. Later in this episode, we chat with Ulrik Haagerup from The Constructive Institute.
But, before that, Elle got together with colleagues and fellow writers Connor Faulkner and Lucy Chapham to surface the story.
00:00 Intro to the episode and roundtable with Elle, Lucy and Connor
01:42 What do we mean by 'constructive journalism'?
03:31 How can we find a middle ground in our comms that isn't overly worthy and also isn't antagonistic?
09:55 Is there another way to approach the 'TLDR'?
10:40 'If nobody gets mad, it's not journalism, it's advertising' Yes or no?
11:36 Let's talk about the power of colleague opinion. When does it work brilliantly?
15:50 What types of media are you consuming now?
22:11 What kinds of conversations are you having with IC teams about content planning now?
25:14 What principles of constructive journalism
are key for IC teams to take away from this conversation?
30:18 Interview with Ulrik Haagerup, CEP of The Constructive Institute
31:07
You've just returned from the International Journalism Conference -
what was the mood in the room?
38:16 How does it feel to see theories of
constructive journalism playing out in the media?
43:26 Are you finding
more readers are turning the news off because there's too much
noise?
45:22 Who are the people really agitating for change in
journalism?
50:37 Has anything really surprised you since you started
following the path of constructive journalism?
53:17 Who would you
nominate as your 2022 World Changer?
