How IBTimes UK is expanding its editorial offering beyond news

Credit: Image from Pixabay

International Business Times UK set up a new features and trending desk in January to expand the newsroom's content offering well beyond news.

Led by Laura Davis, associate editor, the new team includes two deputy editors, two social media journalists and a trends reporter who will join in the near future.

"There was a bit of a gap in the newsroom for something like this. Our offering at IBTimes is really solid particularly on the world news front, but the main aim of the new desk is to branch out into non-news content," Davis told Journalism.co.uk. "We'll still be covering opinion, which we have been doing formerly, but also more features and in-depth series and long-form, as well as having a bit more fun with social media."

The team's scope is broad, but its main task is to facilitate collaboration between the other desks in the newsroom in order to expand the title's storytelling styles.

One example of the approach to storytelling the team wants to promote is IBTimes' coverage of the news that George Orwell's 1984 topped Amazon's bestseller list following Donald Trump's inauguration.

As well as producing a traditional news piece, IBTimes also created a list of six quotes that show 2017 is already George Orwell's 1984.

"It's not necessarily about taking it all on ourselves, but developing feature ideas with reporters who might not have had the chance to explore them previously, or finding social stories online that they might not have thought would be appropriate for IBT but actually there is a way we can do it that would make it fun and social-friendly."

The video and photography teams in particular are placed in the spotlight, and Davis is looking into expanding the social media strategy at IBTimes UK, branching out beyond Facebook and Twitter.

"2017 could be a year when Instagram is quite important for referrals, so that's something we do want to look at. We have quite a strong picture desk and I think being able to show that off on another channel is great – but referrals is going to be something we're looking at this year from Instagram."

During a regular day at the office, aside from attending morning news conferences and reading as many news stories as possible, Davis also monitors what's trending on social media using tools including Buzzsumo and Newswhip's Spike, as well as commissioning comment pieces, and editing stories to be published on the website and social media.

The number of features IBTimes UK is publishing is set to grow soon, with series and individual projects planned, as well as a closer working relationship with the video team. The new features and trending desk has been operational for a week, and Davis hopes the pace of work will quicken in the coming months. "Maybe we'll be more used to it I suppose. Discussing ideas will be quicker, being more responsive to the internet, really being alert to those kinds of stories that come and go, and having new ideas."

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