Fergus Bell’s experience spans both the business and editorial sides of the news industry. He spent eight years at the Associated Press, then headed up newsroom partnerships and innovation for digital newsgathering start-up, SAM Desk. He later founded Dig Deeper Media and Pop-Up Newsroom that has seen success with the multi-award winning “Verificado” – an initiative designed to monitor for misinformation during the Mexican elections.

1. DISTRIBUTED
NEWSROOM
PLAYBOOK by

2. Newsrooms have quickly had to
reconfigure as distributed, digital
spaces.

3. The playbook was designed to help
organisations chart a sustainable
path forward, based on experience
and strategic thinking.

4. CHALLENGES
Moving from a centralised newsroom to one that is distributed presents different
challenges for different parts of our industry.
WORKFLOWS, STRUCTURES & PROCESSES
MANAGING DISTRIBUTED TEAMS
TECHNOLOGY AND TOOLS
AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT
NEWSROOM TRAINING

5. OPPORTUNITIES & SUSTAINABILITY
NOW NEXT FUTURE
CRITICAL OPERATIONAL INNOVATIONAL

6. WORKFLOWS, STRUCTURES & PROCESSES

7. WORKFLOW, STRUCTURES AND PROCESSES
Distributed newsrooms are
not bound by the restrictions
a physical newsroom has.
People need to be organised
in a way that makes most
sense for distributed
operation but at the same
time retains some familiarity.

8. WORKFLOW, STRUCTURES AND PROCESSES
DON’T THROW EVERYTHING OUT!

9. WORKFLOW, STRUCTURES AND PROCESSES
When working in a distributed way it is essential that people
know where to find others. The fewer places there are to
look, the less chance your processes will slow down.
When everything is managed digitally the “desks” structure
should be simplified.
SIMPLE & FAMILIAR
SUSTAINABLE OPERATIONS
CRITICAL OPERATIONAL

10. TRANSITION FROM NEWS DESKS TO
NEWS HUBS

11. WORKFLOW, STRUCTURES AND PROCESSES
Using a smaller number of operational hubs will
mean that staff will have greater visibility of the work
that others are doing and how they do it.
ADAPTING TO ABSENCES
SUSTAINABLE OPERATIONS
CRITICAL OPERATIONAL

12. WORKFLOW, STRUCTURES AND PROCESSES
Whatever digital workflows you build and/or implement now,
you must consider how they can be sustainable in the mid-
term and offer a growth opportunity in the long term.
Everything should be built to work equally well in both a
distributed to non-distributed setting.
THINK LONG TERM
GROWTH OPPORTUNITY
OPERATIONAL INNOVATIONAL

13. WORKFLOW, STRUCTURES AND PROCESSES
Assignment Hub
Distributed Newsrooms
Assignment Editors
Web Team
Traffic Managers
Verification & Fact
Checking Team
Social Media/
Engagement/
Community Hub
Managers
Production &
Editing Hub
Editors
Sub Editors
Output Editors
Standards Editor
Video Producers
Digital
Newsgathering Hub
Digital Newsgathering Editor
Fact Checking Editor
Fact Checkers
Social Media Editor
Audience Editor
Growth Editor
Producers
Correspondents
Reporting Desks
Hub
“Desk Editors”
Business
Reporters
Metro/Local
Reporters
Regional
Reporters
Climate
Reporters
Health/
Coronavirus
Reporters
General
Assignment &
Web Reporters
Language Teams
Video Team
Data Team
Visuals Team
International
Editor

14. WORKFLOW, STRUCTURES AND PROCESSES
Assignment Hub
Assignment Editors
Web Team
Traffic Managers
Assignment Hub
The assignment hub serves the one
constant and should serve as your
communication hub. Both managers and
staff will get their editorial briefings from
here. It should also allow you to consolidate
the uses of newsgathering technologies to a
degree.
CRITICAL OPERATIONAL

15. WORKFLOW, STRUCTURES AND PROCESSES
Production Hub
Production & Editing Hub
Editors
Sub Editors
Output Editors
Standards Editor
Video Producers
The production hub will be your central
operations hub for anything the news and
journalism that you produce, regardless of the
format.
CRITICAL OPERATIONAL

16. WORKFLOW, STRUCTURES AND PROCESSES
Assignment Hub
Distributed Newsrooms
Assignment Editors
Web Team
Traffic Managers
Verification & Fact
Checking Team
Social Media/
Engagement/
Community Hub
Managers
Production &
Editing Hub
Editors
Sub Editors
Output Editors
Standards Editor
Video Producers
Digital
Newsgathering Hub
Digital Newsgathering Editor
Fact Checking Editor
Fact Checkers
Social Media Editor
Audience Editor
Growth Editor
Producers
Correspondents
Reporting Desks
Hub
“Desk Editors”
Business
Reporters
Metro/Local
Reporters
Regional
Reporters
Climate
Reporters
Health/
Coronavirus
Reporters
General
Assignment &
Web Reporters
Language Teams
Video Team
Data Team
Visuals Team
International
Editor

17. WORKFLOW, STRUCTURES AND PROCESSES
OPPORTUNITIES & SUSTAINABILITY
NOW NEXT FUTURE
Map out
functions and
roles for basic
operations
Iterate
processes to
improve
productivity and
flow
Create
opportunities for
innovation,
creativity &
autonomy

18. WORKFLOW, STRUCTURES AND PROCESSES
Whatever technology you currently use in your newsroom
for digital communication it is incredibly important to
rethink your channels for a semi -or wholly - distributed
team.
DIGITAL ONLY COMMS
SUSTAINABLE OPERATIONS
CRITICAL OPERATIONAL

19. WORKFLOW, STRUCTURES AND PROCESSES
Some hubs won’t want all of the staff that report into
it included in the operational chat and so you need to
consider how you will communicate within smaller
teams or groups of reporters.
SIMPLIFY & ITERATE
SUSTAINABLE OPERATIONS
OPERATIONAL

20. WORKFLOW, STRUCTURES AND PROCESSES
OPPORTUNITIES & SUSTAINABILITY
NOW NEXT FUTURE
Map out essential
communications,
replicate essential
Add structures,
hierarchy and
oversight.
Consolidate
platforms.
Iterate, create
spaces for
creativity.

21. MANAGING DISTRIBUTED TEAMS

22. MANAGING DISTRIBUTED TEAMS
• There’s no point pretending that a news hub can do the same things in the way
they have been done before.
• Each newsroom has their own separate deadlines and hitting them should be
your goal.
• Accept that you and your team’s journey to get to that point will need to adapt.
Manage Expectations
SUSTAINABLE OPERATIONS

23. MANAGING DISTRIBUTED TEAMS
WHAT MEETINGS?
Editorial
conferences
Technical
meetings
Management
meetings
Meeting
overload
Timekeeping
Old tech

24. MANAGING DISTRIBUTED TEAMS
HEALTHY TEAMS
“Home turf”
Productivity
DowntimeManaging Well
WORK CULTURE & MORALE

25. Acknowledging your team’s hard work with a
sincere ‘thank you’ might be the most significant
thing you can do to lift their morale.
BE KIND

26. MANAGING DISTRIBUTED TEAMS
Opportunities & Sustainability
NOW NEXT FUTURE
Focus on staff
safety &
wellbeing
Management/
HR alignment on
challenges
ahead
Foster
autonomy and
culture of
innovation

27. TECHNOLOGY & TOOLS AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT
NEWSROOM TRAINING EDITORIAL

28. FILL IN SURVEY
We’ll ask you a series of specific questions
related to your set-up, immediate challenges
and goals
ANALYSIS
The Distributed Newsroom Playbook authors
and other Fathm consultants will run analysis
on your answers
IMPACT ASSESSMENT
We’ll give you an overview of the areas you
need to consider and what should be your
priority
IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
You’ll receive an implementation plan and we
will explain how we might be able to help
FREE
FREE
Here to help…for free.
fathm.co/distributednewsroom