My month at CDN

MACASERO

After leaving my job at a local digital start-up last November, Cebu Daily News’ editor-in-chief Edralyn Benedicto invited me to come try out CDN. I was hesitant at first because I “grew up” as a journalist with a company that was digital only.

CDN delivers its news both in print and on online.

But I guess the fact that saying yes would give me insight in experiencing something new, I couldn’t say no.

While it is social media that is thought of as new and print as “old” media, it was print that was new to me.

Although I’ve been a journalist for six years already, walking into CDN was my first time seeing an actual printing press. It was my first time seeing how layout and production decisions are made, and my first time experiencing the feeling of cutting close to deadline when you’re responsible for editing a story that was going to be in print forever. It was quite nerve-racking actually.

But the most important question I needed to explore through this experience was this: How are traditional newspapers keeping up in a media environment that is increasingly becoming more digital?

The first week of January, I began to find out.

The total editorial staff is not at more than 50, while the staff running online, before I came in, was at a whopping two
persons.

“Oh, boy,” I thought. “I’ve got my work cut out for me.”

I will admit that in the debate of print vs digital media, I am biased toward digital. But with anything in life, you have to keep an open mind about things you don’t have first-hand experience with. Print was one of those things I had opinions about, but never experienced for myself.

To say that it’s been a tough and challenging month would be an understatement.

In addition to delivering news in real time for our audience on social media, reporters cannot escape the daily deadline for print, where editors expect a fully-developed story, complete with context and a unique perspective, aside from the story that had already been published on the website during the daytime.

To be a reporter for CDN, one must have the agility to Tweet, Facebook live, newsgather and break stories in real time during the day, while framing a story that would still be relevant for the print readers who would open the newspaper the next morning.

It is a test of mental strength and stamina to break stories throughout the day without compromising principles of good journalism. And I will tell you, this is easier said than done.

For a short time last month, I was a part of the digital operations of CDN. And what I can attest to is that the staff of this community news organization is one that is very young, energetic and passionate (and they’re a lot of fun).

At my former company, the website and social media operations alone was supported by a staff of over 100. So the fact that the online team at CDN was staffed by two, who worked long hours with little time off, impressed – and scared me at the same time.

I spent the next few weeks learning for myself the challenges of keeping up with competition who had more resources than CDN did.

The most important lesson I’ve taken away from the past month isn’t a debate of print vs digital though. Rather, it is about how can the two mediums merge into one identity?

While there are many newspapers worldwide closing up print operations to go digital, I now believe that the relationship between print and digital doesn’t necessarily have to be adversarial.

While the Internet provides a medium for real-time news, community engagement, and a treasure trove of more accurate audience data that TV and newspapers cannot offer; there is also an experience and feeling of providing well-curated content that the Internet cannot achieve the same way print can.

So as we head toward an inevitable more digital future, the question of how to merge print and online is a question news organizations like CDN will have to ask themselves every single day. And I’m sure the answer is just right under our noses.

Happy 19 years CDN!