Hear This From SXSW: Tech and News
The Forrest Four-Cast: March 23, 2018
Technology is transforming every corner of the media landscape, from the way news is gathered, to the way it is presented, to the way it is shared. Top media companies are using powerful VR techniques to create a new kind of journalism. J-schools are teaching Python. And in Sweden and Finland, robots now write more news articles than humans. Check out these full-length audio replays of some of the most provocative SXSW 2018 sessions, many of which occurred in the week-long News & Journalism Track.
Bringing VR/AR to People Through Immersive News. With media companies shifting their focus to create immersive news with 360-degree and augmented reality experiences, audiences can now experience the stories they care about firsthand. Find out how Forbes, StoryUP, the Washington Post, and USA Today are using virtual reality and augmented reality to bring audiences into the story. Panelists for this session included StoryUp CEO and Chief Storyteller Sarah Hill (pictured above).
Data Journalism: We’re All News Nerds Now. Data journalism is becoming standard practice. Data literacy is spreading across beats. J-schools are teaching R and Python. Check out ideas on localizing, sharing, and finding stories in data from journalism and tech leaders Sarah Cohen at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University, Jon Loyens at data.world, Allison McCann at VICE News, and Troy Thibodeaux at the Associated Press.
The Humanoid Future of Journalism. Newsrooms in Sweden and Finland are leading the charge into more fully-automated content, with algorithms analyzing the facts, writing the news, and pointing their human counterparts to the most interesting stories. Hear Robin Govik of MittMedia and Hanna Tuulonen of Göteborgin Sivukonttori discuss the potential benefits (as well as the many pitfalls) of the growing number of robots who are producing readable journalism.
Find more podcast content by exploring the SXSW online schedule. When you click on a session and see an audio bar, then you’ve got your listening assignment for the day! Also, we’ve made it easier for you by recapping some of the SXSW highlights. Check out previous roundups of audio content related to Senator Bernie Sanders, The Future of Work, Boosting Benefits, Politics Matters, Culture Changers, Fresh Media Voices and Building Inclusion.
Lock in SXSW 2018 prices by purchasing a badge for SXSW 2019 during our limited pre-sale. Don’t delay, as this limited pre-sale ends at 11:59 pm PDT on Saturday, March 24.
Hugh Forrest serves as Chief Programming Officer at SXSW, the world’s most unique gathering of creative professionals. He also tries to write at least four paragraphs per day on Medium. These posts often cover tech-related trends; other times they focus on books, pop culture, sports and other current events.
