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Be the Disruptor
Report

Be the Disruptor

Harvard's Master of Innovation Tutors a Nieman Fellow on How Media Can Succeed in the Internet Age

Nieman Reports, 2012 more...

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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Innovative

Recommendation

In this compelling article, Clayton M. Christensen of Harvard Business School, together with Nieman Fellow David Skok and Harvard graduate James Allworth, consider the possibilities for “disruptive innovation” in the news industry. In the course of their three-part analysis, they offer a wealth of practical examples and concrete suggestions for how news organizations can adapt and thrive in the modern media market. getAbstract recommends this handy primer to editors, journalists and everyone who works in the news media industry.

Take-Aways

  • Rather than focus on customer demographics or price points, news organizations should consider what “consumers want done,” and then improve or develop new products and services to satisfy those wants.
  • Media outlets need to move away from antiquated business models and embrace new models that make the most of existing assets to create alternate revenue streams.
  • People no longer require news organizations to provide general interest and breaking news. Their role is to provide expert, niche-specific analysis, engage in content curation, and help create “networked communities” built around news topics and subject matters.

About the Authors

Clayton M. Christensen is a professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. David Skok is managing editor of Global News. James Allworth contributes to Harvard Business Review.