Hacks Meet Hackers
Programmers and Journalists Redefine the News
Gone are the days when a news reporter was able to effectively work equipped with nothing more than decent writing chops, a notepad and an astute set of eyes and ears.
While being well versed in the basic pillars of traditional journalism remains very much a requirement in doing the job, the skill set demanded of today’s reporters certainly doesn’t stop there.
Working in the news business now means working closely with the Internet, and having technical skills that surpass
elementary Google-searching capabilities.
So for those journalists finding themselves lacking these web skills, knowing who and where to ask for help is crucial in keeping up with both their peers and the news.
The Movement
Enter Hacks/Hackers—a four-year-old growing grassroots movement that aims to bring journalists, or “hacks,” and technologists, or “hackers,” together to share knowledge, and collaboratively push boundaries of modern-day news production.
The organization was born in 2009 as a synergy between two independent groups, originating from opposite sides of the United States. Coincidently, both came up with near identical ideas almost simultaneously—and unknowingly gave them exactly the same name.
When the groups heard of one another, they decided to join forces. Silicon Valley’s Burt Herman teamed up with Aron Pilhofer of The New York Times and Rich Gordon from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, together founding the new, singular Hacks/Hackers organization.
“They recognized the way things are going in journalism,” said Chrys Wu, an organizer who has been with H/H since the beginning. “Journalists and developers need each other.”
Going Global
Since its inception, H/H’s chapters have popped up all over the globe, and the organization continues to grow.
“Right now we are working on figuring out a structure that will allow the international organizations to be tied together better,” said Wu. “We think that in doing this we will be able to better promote new tools and new solutions that will better the learning and the process of online news.”
In terms of establishing a chapter, Wu explained that the process is rather informal. Having well-connected co-organizers with backgrounds in journalism, technology and design is important, as is having an abundance of time, energy and dedication to the project.
“We suggest that organizers have their ear to the ground in terms of what is interesting,” she said. “They need to understand the needs of the community of journalists and designers in their city.”
While H/H groups across the world organize conferences and events to bring people together, Wu explained that volunteers organize all chapters without financial compensation.
“Hacks/Hackers can provide a centralized email address, access to our meet-up system, create a page and a logo and give you access to the Hacks/Hackers blog,” said Wu. “But beyond that, what you get out of it is really what you put into it.”
Education
Today, technology is changing much faster than university curriculums can.
“Journalists working in the field and in newsrooms don’t necessarily have development skills, yet they need them in order to produce news,” said Wu.
“One of the key issues that journalism schools all over are facing is figuring out what to teach their students,” she said. “They acknowledge that the web has changed a lot and yet the market hasn’t necessarily changed that much.”
Wu’s advice to aspiring journalists is to take their technical learning into their own hands. She says that technology is moving so fast that learning it independently is really the only way.
“You have to know where to find sources beyond just doing the obvious,” she said. “Learn HTML and CSS, at least.”
The H/H website hosts a community-edited help forum that allows people to ask and answer tech- and news-related questions. The initiative aims to serve as a valuable tool for people of all levels of knowledge and experience.
Wu says one of the most valuable assets of the movement is that it allows for people to meet and work together in person.
“At Hacks/Hackers events, participants are able to put competition aside and do something together, talk to each other, learn from each other and hack on stuff together—and they get really excited about it,” she said.
