As the gruesome details of the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi trickle out, I am horrified beyond words. That a critic of the Saudi regime could be brutally dismembered in a consulate in Istanbul seems too savage to contemplate in 2018.

The ensuing deceptions about what really happened to Khashoggi are extremely troubling. Much has been written about Khashoggi’s past work as an unofficial spokesman for the kingdom and as an outspoken critic of the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

There’s more to Khashoggi’s story. He was also a supporter of quality journalism. In 2005 — when the atmosphere was rigidly tense after 9/11 and the 2003 invasion of Iraq — news coverage in both the U.S. and the Arab world often resorted to stereotypes.

So the International Center for Journalists organized a three-day conference in Wisconsin to bring together nearly two dozen journalists from the U.S. and the Middle East to hold frank discussions on how to bridge the gap.

Khashoggi enthusiastically got behind the idea of getting journalists from both worlds in a room where they could come up with best practices on how to cover one another — at a time when it was easier to embrace cliches

There were debates and heated discussions but all in the spirit of getting to know one another better. He also introduced ICFJ to the Saudi Committee for the Development of International Trade, which provided some funding.

The meeting was so productive that ICFJ published a guide, in English and Arabic, called “Fighting Words: How Arab and American Journalists Can Break Through to Better Coverage.” We sent it to hundreds of newsrooms and journalism schools throughout the U.S. and Middle East.

In my view, it still stands as the single best resource for covering the Arab world.

With Khashoggi’s brutal death, we not only lost a fine journalist but also a strong supporter of quality journalism. At a time when polarization is prevailing, we can take a page from his handbook and remember our common humanity.

This open letter was originally posted on icfj.org.

The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) and Google News Lab today launched an interactive data explorer that makes it easy for users to dig into a wealth of new survey data from hundreds of newsrooms worldwide and examine how journalists are using technology.

The data visualization tool uses findings from ICFJ’s State of Technology in Global Newsrooms study, the first-ever global survey of the adoption of technology by the news media. ICFJ partnered with Google News Lab, design studio Polygraph and University of Miami’s Knight Chair in Visual Journalism Alberto Cairo to build the tool.

The survey report, released in October, found that despite some gains, journalists are not keeping pace with the tech revolution. It identified the regional leaders and laggards, as well as gaps in everything from newsroom training to digital security. Now, ICFJ is making this data available and inviting journalists to explore and illuminate hidden trends.

“We are sharing this treasure trove of data for journalists, newsroom managers, researchers, funders and others to explore,” said Joyce Barnathan, ICFJ’s president. “Study the trends that interest you, and use the data to inform new strategies and research.”

Aimed at gauging how well journalists are keeping pace with the tech revolution, the study garnered responses from more than 2,700 newsroom managers and journalists across 130 countries.

“The News Lab is proud to support this incredible study,” said Simon Rogers, data editor at the News Lab. “Working in a newsroom has never been more challenging, and this report gives us unique insights into the day-to-day lives of journalists at the bleeding edge of editorial innovation.”

The data explorer allows users to sift through this unprecedented dataset and surface new findings that shed light on trends in their region and around the world. They can filter by variables such as position and newsroom type, as well as download the aggregated, anonymized survey data for further analysis.

With the explorer, users can address questions such as:

• Which tools are reporters in sub-Saharan Africa using to reach and interact with their audiences?
• What types of training are most valued by news editors in Latin America and the Caribbean?
• How are newsroom employees in Eurasia/the former USSR securing their information — and how does that compare to those in North America?

Storyful, Google News Lab and SurveyMonkey supported the study. Georgetown University’s Communication, Culture & Technology program helped to administer and analyze the survey, which was distributed via SurveyMonkey. Results were collected across eight regions: Eurasia/former USSR, Europe, Latin America, Middle East/North Africa, North America, sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and East/Southeast Asia.

Check out the data explorer, and see highlights from the survey on our main Medium page.

Is there a new strategy you want to try in your newsroom based on ICFJ’s survey? Do you now want to conduct further research on a particular topic? Let ICFJ know how you are putting this data to use: Fill out this form or tweet out on #ICFJtechsurvey.

For more information, please contact ICFJ Communications Director Erin Stock at 202–349–7636 or estock@icfj.org.

Want to Explore Data on Newsroom Technology? We’ve Got a New Tool for You. was originally published in ICFJ on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

We face a global media landscape rife with both uncertainty and excitement. The need to understand this new digital era — and what it means for journalists — has never been more urgent. That’s why we at the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) launched the first-ever global survey on the adoption of new technologies in news media.

More than 2,700 newsroom managers and journalists, from 130 countries, responded to our survey, which was conducted in 12 languages. Storyful, Google News Lab and SurveyMonkey supported the research. ICFJ worked with Georgetown University’s Communication, Culture, and Technology (CCT) program to administer and analyze the survey, conducted using SurveyMonkey.

The results are in and you can see the highlights below. Check out our full report and share. Explore our interactive data explorer, produced in partnership with Google News Lab, and read our full announcement.

Newsrooms in the Digital Age

Journalists in the Newsroom

Though it is generally believed that digital-only newsrooms hire younger staff, our study shows little difference — the largest number of employees in digital-only newsrooms range in age from 25 to 29. For hybrid and traditional newsrooms, the largest number is between 30 and 35.

In fact, digital-only newsrooms are also more likely to have older personnel — in the 50–55 age group — than both their traditional and hybrid counterparts.

Digital Skills in the Newsroom

Digital skills and experience are important attributes for those seeking top newsroom positions. Newsroom leaders were more likely to possess core digital skills at the same time of their hiring compared to the journalists on their staffs.

Of the 23 skills surveyed in the study, only five are used to produce stories in half or more of newsrooms.

Newsroom Training

Information Security

Despite the proliferation of cybersecurity tools and methods, email encryption is the most popular among journalists and newsrooms worldwide. Although instant messaging and chat apps are more prevalent today, fewer journalists and newsrooms report using those platforms, which offer end-to-end encryption, as security tools.

Social Media

Newsrooms have access to a host of new platforms and formats, from social media to mobile apps to virtual reality, which they use to distribute their stories and reach wider audiences.

Newsroom Analytics

Our study indicates that newsrooms are more interested in tracking the number of clicks than they are in measuring audiences’ interaction with their content.

Half of news organizations worldwide use analytics to drive traffic to their websites. This reinforces the importance of page views as a metric, and indicates that newsrooms are eager to increase that number.

Content Management Systems

Most media organizations around the world (85%) employ some kind of Content Management System in their newsrooms.

Newsroom Revenue Streams

Overall, digital-only newsrooms are turning to new and diverse sources of funding more frequently than traditional and hybrid organizations.

What’s Next: Newsroom Challenges

Only 18% of newsrooms in Eurasia/former USSR found attracting loyal audiences to be a major challenge. The number is identical for both independent and government-funded news organizations in the region.

In the post-truth era, most newsrooms are worried about building trust with their audiences. Newsrooms in two regions, however, are a little less worried.

Read the full study here and share. For inquiries please contact Erin Stock, ICFJ’s communications director, at 202–349–7636 or estock@icfj.org.

About ICFJ: To meet the urgent need for reliable information, ICFJ promotes a professional journalism whose primary goal is to seek the truth. We help journalists use best practices and new technologies to improve the quality of news media. We believe that better journalism leads to better lives.

Join ICFJ in supporting the truth tellers! Tickets and sponsorships are still available for the 2017 ICFJ Awards Dinner on Nov. 9. Learn more about our work at ICFJ.org, and connect with ICFJ on Twitter and Facebook.

Graphic elements provided by Freepik, Creativepack and Macrovector.

A Study of Technology in Newsrooms was originally published in ICFJ on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.