Innovate or bust
Have a vision
It has not been a good spring for online media. Buzzfeed has announced it’s shutting down its news service, and Vice has declared bankruptcy.
Ouch!
Does this signal that the online news model is on its last legs?
Maybe.
But what it really signals is the need to innovate with a concrete vision, or else your organization will join the many, many media outlets that have transitioned into the ether.
To stand out from the crowd, there has not been a more pressing need to create content that is both high-quality and engaging. This means investing in high-quality journalism, original reporting, creative storytelling and a marketing strategy.
That’s why we continue to invest in innovative storytelling in various formats because we are at the point in history where it boils down to this: “Innovate or bust!”
As every month, we have a lot in store for you, including a book recommendation, tips on starting your own podcast, and more.
Happy reading.
Best wishes,
Rana F. Sweis
Founder of Wishbox Media
💡 What we’ve been up to
Wishbox Founder Rana F. Sweis attended the IAF Freedom of the Press Seminar, which ran from 30 April to -12 May in Gummersbach, Germany.
During my trip to Germany for the IAF seminar, I was immersed in thought-provoking insights that I wanted to share with you. One standout observation was the lack of vision in today's media landscape. Many news outlets prioritize sensationalism.
News outlets like Buzzfeed and Vox, in my opinion, prioritized sensationalism and clickbait over delivering substantive content. They also had no vision.
Relying on individuals or a few organizations for fact-checking is insufficient; implementing systemic measures for accurate information dissemination is crucial.
I also learned about effective story marketing by leveraging media platforms to capture audience attention. Creativity in storytelling methods captivates and engages audiences on a deeper level.
COVID-induced isolation underscored the importance of building and nurturing media communities.
My trip to Germany and the IAF seminar has been the highlight of my year so far. 💬
We worked with wellness hub MVMNT to create an animation video emphasizing the importance of yoga at the workplace to reduce stress. 📹
A reminder that Wishbox Media is now on LinkedIn. Follow us to read out updates and join the conversation.
Live Talks: Our live talk this month featured podcaster Bardees Smairat who shared a step-by-step plan to begin your podcast. #LIVETALKS
🎧 You can listen (Arabic) to an excerpt from the conversation with Bardees below:
🗄️ From the archive
Short, digitally hand-drawn cartoon animation videos can send powerful messages to a large audience. Wishbox Media has created a series of six short cartoon animation videos, three of which dealt with youth and women's participation in the decision-making process.
The other three highlighted the challenges facing youth in the Arab world. Our team created the script, storyboard, sound, and animation, along with a large social media campaign to distribute the videos.
If you or your organization want to produce animations that tell compelling stories, please drop us a note. 🗳
We’d love to hear from you and discuss your ideas. Our website offers more information about our projects and training services.
📺 Our media consumption
We are really looking forward to delving into the bookTraffic by Ben Smith. It’s about the rise of online media and the race to go viral. It tells the story of two online media rivals, Jonah Peretti of HuffPost and Nick Denton of Gawker Media, and how their delirious pursuit of attention at scale helped release the dark forces that would overtake the internet and American society.
Have you read it yet?