News organizations retool operations, go for ‘obsession journalism’ and niche news

OPINION:

Just as the public gets comfortable with such journalism staples as trending stories and viral news comes a new phenomenon: Call it “obsession journalism.” The media may be annoying at times, but nimble news organizations are racing to redefine their turf and content to stay afloat in an evolving, unforgiving and highly competitive marketplace.

Typical is this Los Angeles Times announcement on Wednesday: “The news environment and the needs of readers are changing more rapidly than at any time in the history of our industry. The Los Angeles Times should do more than keep pace with that change; we must strive to lead it,” advise publisher Austin Beutner and editor Davan Maharaj.

They have hired one S. Mitra Kalita - formerly of the Quartz, a global business news site, along with The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Newsday and the Associated Press. She is now managing editor for editorial strategy at the Times.

“Mitra will work to develop and refine new styles of journalism similar to those she helped pioneer at Quartz. Launched in 2012, Quartz is known for its lively mix of news and analysis, its Daily Brief of worldwide business news, its creative use of social media and its focus on ’obsessions’ of special interest to its readers rather than traditional beats,” the Times officials say.

ABC News had a near simultaneous reinvention as well, retooling its all-important bureau in the nation’s capital and shifting “away from platform-based teams and towards content-based teams,” according to an internal memo obtained by TheWrap.com. Niche news specialists seem to be the order of the day.

“Our reporting has never been stronger, and we will double down on that by investing in our editorial operation, reallocating resources towards our specialists — people with in-depth knowledge of specific areas, who are well-sourced in our most important beats,” D.C. bureau chief Jonathan Greenberger advised staffers.