The regional media focus on the necessity, opportunities and threats of digital technologies

Print media is not going through the best of times due to declining advertising revenue and declining subscriber numbers every year. Although predictions that newspapers will disappear completely are slowly receding, specialists emphasize the importance of digitization for newspaper editorial offices in the regions. The present and future of journalism, innovations and opportunities were discussed at the regional media conference in Šiauliai.

Representatives of the editorial offices will gather

At the end of January in Šiauliai, in the cooperation center “Spiečius”, representatives of the regional media gathered, including journalists, editors and newspaper owners. The conference, which has become a tradition, was organized by a media group Stages and “Setupad Technologies”, the advertising network connecting the largest number of websites in the Baltic States. Representatives of sixteen newsrooms listened to reports and participated in lively discussions.

“The main goal of this conference is to gather regional media representatives to learn, understand and evaluate the importance of new technologies in journalism. This is especially important for editorial offices in smaller cities, because, admittedly, innovations reach them later. In order to survive in this market, we need to be able to monetize websites, which means to be able to live in a digitized world and make money from it. We, regional media representatives, must gather separately from the big Lithuanian portals, because we have our own challenges”, said Giedrė Brazlauskaitė, director of Šiauliai plus.

According to the organizer of the event, this type of conference is the first step towards uniting regional media representatives. By cooperating, small regional portals and publications could strengthen their competences, awareness and increase the trust of the audience.

During the conference, four speakers shared their knowledge and experience: Povilas Goberis, head of Setupad Technologies, Lina Bušinskaitė, chairman of the Internet Media Association, Arūnas Girdziušas, information security specialist of Baltic Amadeus, and Giedrė Brazlauskaitė, director of Etaplius.

Speakers discussed topics related to the current affairs and opportunities of online media, cyber security, investments in internet advertising, digital marketing and advertising network features, cooperative projects.

Without a doubt, the highlights are the additional revenue streams that are closely related to Google, SEO, Discover and other untapped digital opportunities in media. The representatives of the editors explained how to achieve high content quality and sell this content, ensuring constant passive income.

“This conference, intended for regional media representatives, can and, I hope, will become an effective and valuable platform for sharing knowledge, experience and good practices, as well as creating synergies.” I am pleasantly surprised by the involvement, active participation and discussions of those present”, – P. Goberis, the organizer of the event, shared his thoughts after the conference.

Challenges of regional media

The event, which became the start of the New Year, provided an opportunity for media representatives to take a look at themselves using the principle of a mirror, reflect on the past and share insights about the future. Both conference participants and speakers agreed that there is no shortage of challenges for the regional media.

“Lithuanian regional media, although they are able to reflect local events and cultural features, face many challenges that prevent them from effectively storing, developing and receiving high-quality cyber security knowledge. The main problem is technological challenges, lack of human resources and monitoring and prevention of security problems,” said Baltic Amadeus representative A. Girdziušas.

The specialist emphasized that Lithuanian regional media organizations must invest in the latest technologies in order to more effectively reach the audience and compete with national and international information providers. According to A. Girdziuš, it is necessary to promote journalistic training, improve digital skills and seek to attract young talents.

“With rapidly changing technology comes new dangers, thus requiring updated tools and skills.” Lithuanian regional media must strengthen its security policy, define strict guidelines regarding confidentiality and ensure that its technological infrastructure is resistant to potential security breaches”, A. Girdziušas shared his thoughts.

Positive feedback

The conference participants agreed that the meeting became a great opportunity to see what work each editorial office does and where it is necessary to improve. The event, which became an excellent space for discussions, left a positive impression on the participants and encouraged the desire for regional media representatives to gather regularly in the future.

“Journalism is a profession where communication is very important. No place without him. And that communication is important not only with the interlocutors or experts of the articles, but also with colleagues. This way you can keep your “hand on the pulse” firmly. Such gatherings as the recent conference expand the circle of acquaintances, load new ideas and significantly increase the knowledge base, so I am convinced that such conferences are needed at least several times a year. Self-disclosure is vital if we want to provide our readers with what is important to them,” Morta Mikutytė, editor of the news portal kurjeris.lt, shared her feedback.

The editor of the Tauragė news publication was also supported by the head of Etaplius.lt. editor Irma Bagūnė. According to the woman, it was good to meet colleagues who are usually only available via e-mail and discuss current affairs.

“During such valuable meetings, each of us grows and improves. Regional media is only as strong as the community as a whole, so trainings, conferences, outings and meetings allow us to discuss, learn, inspire each other or share our accumulated knowledge. I’m glad that we had time for discussions, we could discuss strategy and cooperation, which brings benefits to every editorial office”, commented Irma Bagūnė.

Photos from personal archive.