Ulrik Haagerup gave a speech on media leadership at the 63rd World Newspaper Congress. He discussed three major crises facing traditional media: 1) corrupted politicians and voters, 2) people not wanting to pay for content as Google and Facebook steal traffic, and 3) the need for media to change patterns of thought to solve problems. Haagerup argued that media must become better rather than cheaper and focus on stories over distribution channels. He advocated for a paradigm shift where media sees itself as in the people business rather than the newspaper, TV or radio business and acts as storytellers rather than journalists.

1. 63rd WORLD NEWSPAPER CONGRESS
Session: Leadership
Title: Media Leadership 2011
Speaker: Ulrik Haagerup
Mark your calendar
64th WORLD NEWSPAPER CONGRESS
19th WORLD EDITORS FORUM
Vienna, Reed Messe Wien
www.wan-ifra.org/kiev2012

2. Media Leadership 2011
WAN - Vienna, Oct. 2011 Ulrik Haagerup, Executive Editor of News at DR

3. The Times
They are A’Changin
The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slowe one now
Will latr be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times
they are a-changin'

4. Our Three Major Crises
1. Western politicians and voters
have corrupted each other.
2. Traditional media is in a crisis as
people do not want to pay for
our content. Google and
Facebook steal traffic, time and
money
3

5. Change!
”Without changing
our pattern of
thought, we will
not be able to
solve the problems
we created with
our current pattern
of thought”
Einstein

7. The Conditions for Change
• Either we have to
feel that the toilet is
on fire.
• Or we have to believe
that the new will be
better than the old.
• Otherwise forget it.

9. The Leadership Task
A B
The Toilet The new is better
is on fire than the old

10. The Key Questions
• Can we dramatically
change by doing as
always?
• Are you better or
cheaper?
• As we are not cheaper, we
must be better.
• But at what?
• Can you change your
habits fast enough?

12. Think Different

13. Paradigm
Shift
1. We are not our
distribution
channel
2. Stories are more
important than
media

14. Records or Music?
• The Music Industry
thought they were in
the business of records
and CDs.
• Therefore they build
windshields against the
downloads from the
Internet.
• That´s why they lost
the war of music to
iTunes.

15. Coffee
or a Break?
• We are not in the
coffee business
serving people.
• We are in the
people business
serving coffee.
Starbucks

16. Goodbye
• We are not primarily
newspaper-people,
TV-reporters or radio-
journalists.
We are
storytellers

17. Matrix Newsroom
Media specialists
TV Radio Web Magazines
Global
Business
Content specialists
Politics
Society
Ideas
Sports
Pictures
Reseach

18. Paradigm
shift
• Journalism is
neither only about
helping people to
kill time nor
covering problems.
• Journalism is
about helping
people and inspire
to solutions.

19. What´s News?
- A good story is a bad
story.
- If someone doesn’t
get mad, it is not
journalism. It´s
advertising.
Teachers at my Journalism School
18

20. Listen Louder

21. - Why Are You So Negative?
20

22. - We are just journalists...
21

23. What are We Doing....!?
• TV-avisen, DRs evening news, 6.30 PM, Friday Sep. 5th, 2008:
1) Welcome
2) Terror threat against Denmark
3) Shooting incident in Copenhagen
4) New regional trains not delivered on time
5) Cervical cancer a danger to young girls
6) Strike among bus drivers continues
7) Woman sexually abused
8) Crisis in The Social Democratic Party
9) Old man runs for president in a US in crisis
10) Court case about plane accident with 130 victims
11) Suppressed North Koreans works 22 out
12) A giant mechanical spider creates fear in Liverpool

24. 23

25. You do it too
24

26. 25

27. Templates of News

28. 1) The Crook
• We dream of
tipping
presidents.
• But are all
politicians,
lawyers and
CEOs corrupt
and
incompetent?

29. 2) The Victim
• There is always
a victim
somewhere to
feel sorry for.
• But is my dentist
a victim because
he cannot retire
at the age of
60?

30. 3) The Conflict

31. 4) The Drama

32. - If it Bleeds, it leads....
• We love it. And we get the pictures. All the time. Now.

33. Is our glass...
• Half full
• or always
half empty?

34. Who Moved my Cheese?
• Do we tell
about the
cheese?
• Or most
about the
holes in
it?

35. Supplement
• There is a need in the news
profession of supplementing
the traditional news criteria.
• There is a need of stories
which inspire to solutions.
• We call it constructive news
• We have to be both critical
and constructive.
• But a good story can also be
a good one.

36. Is it
possible
to order
ideas?
Or enthusiasm?
Or engagement?

37. Everybody Wants Progress
-But nobody wants
change...
People are not against change
itself. Only its consequence in
loss of
- Prestige
- Security
- Identity
- Relations

38. The Key

39. The New Editor
Industrial Society Innovation Society
Manager Leader
Administrates Renews
Develops
Maintains
Builds on People
Builds on Systems
Builds on trust
Builds on Control
Asks what and why
Asks when and how Focuses on the horizon
Focuses on the bottom-line Innovates
Imitates Meets longsighted demands
Meets shortsighted demands Wants to do the right things

40. Leadership
- Leadership is
creating the
future providing
innovation and
hope.
C.K. Prahalad

41. - People who are crazy enough to
think they can change the world are

42. Yes, We Can...
• New constructive
questions:
- What is your own
idea?
- Where is the
solution?
- What can we
learn?
- When is can be
done elsewhere,
why not here?
41

43. Navigation
Fewer stories about conflicts More stories about solutions
Less copy More originality
Less information More meaning
Less factory More playground
Fewer mistake finding missions More guts to try
Less management More leadership
More apraisal for daring
Less internal critique
More creativity
Less routine More enthusiasm
Less nagging

44. Stay
Hungry
Stay
Foolish
uhaa@dr.dk