News & Journalism Sessions on March 15
The Forrest Four-Cast: March 15, 2018
The final day of the “News & Journalism” Track for SXSW 2018 is Thursday, March 15 at the JW Marriott. Seven standout sessions that are part of this last day of programming are as follows:
The Digital Campfire: Storytelling on Voice UIs. Voice-first user interfaces are on the rise, offering storytelling opportunities for content creators and a way to grow audience in a new context. This panel will explore how to create a frictionless listening experience, show ways to overcome common challenges, and discuss how voice UIs are changing storytelling for the better. Join speakers from Amazon Alexa, Quartz, and The Washington Post to discuss the opportunity and challenge of storytelling on these new platforms.. Scheduled at 11:00 am in Salon FG at the JW Marriott.
You Have 5 Seconds: Sound Bites Shape Everything. Bored already? Americans have a notoriously short attention span. If you’re explaining, you’re losing. Candidates win elections on sound bites, not substance. Complex ideas are distilled into 5-second soundbites, debates are waged in 280 characters. And one comment or tweet can make or break a corporation’s reputation. Top campaign strategists examine the art and science of message-making and discuss the right and wrong ways for corporations and brands to navigate an era of information overload. Scheduled at 11:00 am in Salon H at the JW Marriott.
Critical Conversations: Identity in Podcasting. Now a booming businessthe audience for podcasting has grown 40% over the past two years and revenue is nearly doubling year over year. Additionally, its intimacy and accessibility have given rise to a wide range of voices. Still, as of mid-2017, a majority of the top 100 podcasts were hosted by straight, white men. But things don’t have to stay that way. Join a diverse panel of podcast hosts from Gimlet Media, WNYC Studios, and more whose shows are changing the conversation one story at a time. Scheduled at 12:30 pm in Salon FG at the JW Marriott.
Politics, Television & Innovation: How & Why. In the session, David Bohrman will take the audience through some key moments in live coverage of politics from the first computer projections in the 1950’s through today. Using many video clips, attendees will see that, much like with the olympics, election coverage every 4 years provides the opportunity and the drive to innovate and create new ways to display data, election results, and analysis. Television needs to be its best every 2 & 4 years, and producers keep moving forward. Scheduled at 12:30 pm in Salon H at the JW Marriott.
Does Satire Still Matter? Eh, Sure. Join writers from ClickHole, The Onion, “Late Night With Seth Meyers,” and Sarah Silverman’s “I Love America” for an illuminating and not at all sad discussion about why satire is still important even in an age where Twitter churns out a million jokes a second. How do you say something new when it seems like everyone is bashing Trump? Learn how to craft satire for both Internet and live TV audiences. Moderated by Charles Barkley (or equivalent).. Scheduled at 2:00 pm in Salon H at the JW Marriott.
Who Is Defining the Future of Entertainment News? The popularity of streaming services and always-on digital environment has changed audience habits and forced entertainment journalists to adapt if they want to succeed. This session will examine the traditional business model of entertainment journalism and its historic relationship to studios, networks and fans and how these relationships have evolved. It will arm the audience with tangible takeaways on the future of this industry — where it is, where it’s going and who is paving the way. Scheduled at 2:00 in Salon FG at the JW Marriott.
Atlanta Monster, Tenderfoot TV & How Stuff Works. Get an insider’s look at the making of “Atlanta Monster,” the №1 breakout podcast of 2018, with creators Payne Lindsey and Donald Albright of Tenderfoot TV and Jason Hoch of HowStuffWorks. The true crime investigative podcast, which hit №1 on the Apple Podcasts chart a full week before it premiered on Jan. 5, explores the Atlanta Child Murders, a horrifying moment in history that claimed the lives of 25+ young victims, mostly male, and all African American from 1979 to 1981. Host Payne Lindsey along with the teams at Tenderfoot TV & HowStuffWorks investigate all sides of the case in real time each week, re-interviewing witnesses, family members and others involved in the case to finally close the door on this horrific moment in history. Scheduled at 5:00 pm in Wisteria Room at the Fairmont Hotel.
You can still buy a badge for SXSW 2018 and take part in all the creativity, innovation, and networking that is March Magic in Austin. Or, lock in 2018 prices by purchasing a badge for SXSW 2019 during our limited pre-sale.
Hugh Forrest serves as Chief Programming Officer at SXSW, the world’s most unique gathering of creative professionals. He also tries to write at least four paragraphs per day on Medium. These posts often cover tech-related trends; other times they focus on books, pop culture, sports and other current events.
