When Gannett named Jennifer Carroll (formerly director of news development in the newspaper division) vice president of new media content, it was recognizing two things: Carroll's outstanding work with the company's cross-platform approach at its more than 90 newspapers, and the very
necessity to do so.
I've written about Carroll before. We've known each other for more than 20 years, dating back to the Lansing State Journal, and I've always
marveled at Carroll's enthusiasm and ability to work with print and online journalists and lead them into the new media future. Although Gannett's newspaper properties (except for USA TODAY) got off to a slow start online, the nation's largest media conglomerate has more than caught up under Carroll's leadership.
"She was asked especially to help move our newsrooms into the online world faster and more effectively," says Phil Currie, senior vice president for news at Gannett. "Nearly from the day she arrived at corporate, she has worked to bring more collaboration with other Newspaper Division departments and with our colleagues in online."
Carroll was recently named Gannett Corporate Staffer of the Year, and she is on a task force of 24 industry innovators working on "Newspaper Next: The Transformation Project" for American Press Institute.
So what's next? According
to Currie, "[Carroll] has worked with a small group of leaders in development of a whole new series of pilot programs that soon will lead to a reshaping of not only our content but also our newsroom structures. In the year ahead (and then for a much longer time), we will see significant internal changes that will help our newsrooms move faster and be better at coping with the increasing desires and demands of the audiences we wish to serve."
I trust that Carroll will be sharing those changes with all of us.
As someone, who has a book,on Gannett, USA TODAY,(your going...
