As a software company we can’t help make hand-sanitisers, face-masks or ventilators. What we can do is offer you a global view on what’s trending in the corona-related news.

That’s why we put together an open dashboard with multiple filters – to track news globally, in Brazil, Spain, Italy, France, and Germany (use arrows on your keyboard to navigate between the different languages). You don’t need an account to use it. We support flow of information and exchange of data especially during difficult times. 

Since most of us are stuck at home craving news, data, and entertainment, it’s not surprising that media and social media consumption have grown during March. Ad spending, however, has declined, and while Facebook and Google take the biggest hit, the decrease could negatively affect ad-reliant media publishers too. 

The hunger for reliable news could be a blessing for subscription-based papers. Reuters 2019 Digital News Report highlighted that the proportion of people paying for news has remained stable at 11% since 2013. Could a prolonged stay-at-home quarantine boost this number in 2020 – or would the negative financial implications of this crisis push that number down? Time will tell. 

Expecting to return to normal?

Nobody will return to the normal as it were – COVID-19 crisis has already made permanent changes to the publishing industry, the ways people work and our individual behaviors. COVID-19 crisis will push changes and technology adoption forward by years in a matter of weeks. Not all of this is bad – the fact that technology adoption is sped up by external pressure does have a silver lining. 

Permanent changes in the publishing industry

• Remote work (some companies have been doing this before the crisis)
• Oh, so some of those meetings could have been emails? – Not so fast, says HBR. Here’s a quick list of how to tell. At the very least, an online meeting should be enough in most cases. 
• Less traveling – selling and buying have already changed
  • The first meeting could take place online.
  • Do we need to travel and meet in person every time? This is not about epidemics and hygiene, it could be justified with efficiency, convenience, and practicality. 
• Less pollution and negative impact on the environment
• Closer relationships due to physical distance
  • Maybe people start paying more attention to the relationships that matter the most – at work and in life more broadly

One thing has become abundantly clear: digitalization is the way forward for newsrooms. Now more than ever media publishers need to build processes and train staff to embrace digital tools. 

For over eight years now we’ve been helping newsrooms across the globe make that digital leap and we’re here to continue supporting you throughout this turbulent time. 

Featured Image by Engin_Akyurt