New Organizations, Different Journalistic Roles, and Innovative Projects: How Second-generation Newsroom Innovation Labs are Changing the News Ecosystem

Abstract

Over the past ten years, various newsroom innovation labs have emerged to modernize journalistic workflows. These labs have started to alter the news ecosystem, and we therefore focus on the organization, the roles, and the projects of innovation labs. This exploratory study conducted interviews with members of labs of The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, BBC, Der Spiegel, and BR. Results on the organizational level show that there are three types: static, dynamic and a hybrid form. With respect to the roles, we conclude that members of innovation labs see themselves as “service providers”. Reviewing the projects of these labs, we see a decline of innovation projects during the first wave of COVID-19, and an urge for tools in news production during the second wave of infections. Overall, this study enhances our understanding of these labs as a rather novel entity that poses opportunities and challenges for news outlets worldwide.