Extra Bladet: Never forget about young readers
October 13, 2009 by marek.miller
Young readers are now the real future of newspapers and online operations of news publishers. Louise Abildgaard Grøn, Project Manager of Educational Relations in Danish „Ekstra Bladet” knows a lot about it, as she leads the project called Redaktionen – an internet-based editorial platform where schools produce their own newspaper. Next week, she will be telling the participants of INMA Outlook 2010 conference, about how to connect to the future readers. Today, she answers few questions exclusively for Forum4Editors. Enjoy the read!
Forum4Editors: What is “Redaktionen” (please describe)? How long is it on the market?
Louise Abildgaard Grøn: Danish tabloid “Ekstra Bladet” created “Redaktionen” (The Newsdesk), an internet-based editorial platform where schools (students in school, age between 13 and 17 years) produce their own newspaper. Today most schools produce newspapers as part of the education — using a variety of standard graphical software. With this revolutionizing platform from Ekstra Bladet, the students follow a process and produce their own newspaper with online support and help from editors, journalists, photographers, layout etc. The aim is to get the student to understand both how to write and edit a newspaper but also understand how photos and layout works. 2–3 days after deadline “Ekstra Bladet” delivers 1,000 colour prints of the paper — directly at the school. This award-winning campaign has built intense loyalty with young people. The project is two years old and was launched october 2007.
How many newspapers have been produced since the start of Redaktionen? How many copies have been distributed?
Since launch, October 2007, more than 400.000 papers has been distributed.
Did Redaktionen help Ekstra Bladet with its recognition from the readers? Has it influenced the sales level of Ekstra Bladet?
„Redaktionen” is a product of a long term strategy to involve youngsters in our brand. The point is to get them involved in our brand much before they actually become potential customers. Therefore we do not expect the launch of ‘Redaktionen’ to have direct influnece on our sales just yet. This is a long term investment to build strong relations to our brand. But we have seen an increased traffic on ekstrabladet.dk in this target group.
Do you have any other ideas for establishing the connection with young readers?
We have two other succesful products for our future and young reader:
1. The Front Page (FP) can be seen close related to “Redaktionen”. FP is an internet-based interactive game where students in high schools produce their own Front Page through a series of dilemmas. It can be accessed anywhere and is free of charge. During FP students realistically experience the necessary role that Ekstra Bladet plays in a modern democracy. In FP students are exposed to some of the same dilemmas, time constraints, adrenaline rushes and the ups and downs experienced by journalists, photographers and editors during a normal (or maybe an exceptionally exciting) working day. The FP is a case-based interactive dilemma game in which the students deal with four different fictional cases all based on real life cases from Ekstra Bladet’s front page. This gives FP its authenticity by transforming something abstract into something concrete which the students can relate to. This form of storytelling involves experience and scenario based learning to reinforce the learning process.
2. The worlds largest football-tournament for schools is the biggest in the whole world. The tournament was established in 1961 by Ekstra Bladet. It’s a big success with 1,000 (out of 1,500 total High Schools in Denmark) participating schools and more than 1,700 school teams. Finals are played in the Danish national stadium – Parken – and are broadcasted live on national TV.
Redaktionen is a great learning tool about journalism and newspaper production. Forgive me this strange question, but what’s really a point to teach readers how the newspaper is being made? Nobody who wants to drive a car needs to learn how the car is being produced.
I think there is a small misunderstanding here. ‘Redaktionen’ teaches students about why we have newspapers, journalism and secondly how to create a newspaper. On the other hand we believe that if you understand the newspaper, what it can do for the society and how it’s been made students may be much more likely to develop a life long tradition using newspapers. You can say that we intend to trigger an interest for reading newspapers, that the students otherwise would not have developed. Also this gives us a chance to interact with students in a way, much more relevant to them. The target group for “Redaktionen” are students (pupils) in the age 14 to 17 years. That’s why they need both to learn how to drive a car and also need to learn how it is produced.
Thank you very much for this interview.
Tagged: INMA, innovation, interaction, Liverpool, Outlook 2010, young readers
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(5 votes, average: 3.80 out of 5)
It’s very interesting experience. I believe that would be effective in the future. We have more or less the same case in Poland like citizen journalism http://www.wiadomosci24.pl/artykul/welcome_to_wiadomosci24_pl_64810.html
Louise Abildgaard Grøn?
This project is more long term investment to build strong relations to your brand or only new type of school journalism online.
[...] A similar project comes from the Danish “Ekstra Bladet”. What is the difference between Redaktionen and Junior Media? [...]