5. New and creative ways to connect

To seize opportunities, media organizations need to pursue different forms of excellence, focusing on new ways to provide news, information and services, curate content, reinvent formats and storytelling, and host conversations and further discourse that people in emerging markets need to develop free, open societies.

Examples

For example, South Africa-based Hashtag Our Stories is a global network of mobile storytellers creating videos about people changing their world. They empower individuals to become citizen journalists, able to produce great footage using smartphones, and tell the stories that go untold in the mainstream news agenda. HOS recently worked with a major continental retailer to support the biggest clean-up in Africa, mobilizing more than 6,000 people across nine countries and creating a viral video that received more than 55,000 views.

Another example of a startup meeting an informational need is Brazil’s Colab, an app that connects citizens and city governments. Colab provides people with a simple, direct way of reporting issues that concern them, such as local crime or waste collection, to responsible officials and gives them a greater voice in prioritizing local budgets and services.

This article is part of the #mediadev guest post Media Viability: 6 strategies for success.

Read more:

1. Business as important as editorial
2. Flat organizational structure
3. Clearly defined brand and audience
4. Diversified revenue 
5. New and creative ways to connect
6. Openness to change