Open-source software, once a digital anomaly embraced by only the most progressive of organisations, is now a mainstream technical solution for companies around the world, powering everything from data management to content workflows.
A 2015 survey found that 78% of companies surveyed used or contributed to open-source software projects. Even original detractors have bought into open source's benefits. In 2016, for instance, Microsoft joined the Linux Foundation, a non-profit technology consortium dedicated to the maintenance and growth of open-source technology. Microsoft's membership came 15 years after its former CEO, Steve Ballmer, denounced the open source movement as "a cancer" on competition.
As open-source software development becomes more ubiquitous, a growing cross-section of media organisations are embracing free-to-use tools for their content creation and publishing needs.
Here are the top six reasons why your newsroom should be next:
1. Code your own destiny
Open-source software gives news organisations the ability to take full control of their digital presence. While black-box software solutions demand conformity, open-source solutions allow your team to "code its own destiny." Moreover, unlike expensive one-size-fits-all options, open-source tools are more cost-efficient and infinitely customizable, giving your organisation the ability to help solve chronic technological problems that can stifle success. Open-source software is also more resistant to obsolescence, as it allows constant improvement and adaptation to match the pace of technological innovation.
2. Synergistic collaboration
By its very design, open-source software connects users with a pool of development resources, inviting adopters into a collaborative community where everyone benefits from individual improvements.
News organisations are particularly well suited to collectively benefit from an open-code base scenario. For instance, ProPublica, a US-based investigative news website, is among the leading proponents of open-source development in journalism. In 2019 ProPublica launched Collaborate, an open-source tool that allows journalists from across the globe to review, verify, and report on data. Major news organisations like The New York Times and the Financial Times have also made open-source tools available for other newsrooms. For a list of these and other solutions, Source, operated by OpenNews, provides journalists, designers, developers, and editors a cache of open-source resources on topics such as content verification, storage, publishing, data visualisation, and data analysis.
3. Increased efficiency
With an open-source approach to newsroom software customisation, it is possible to increase efficiency and productivity within the workplace and see a greater return on your investment as time progresses. This was especially true for Belgium's leading news agency, Belga. As the agency transitioned to Superdesk, Sourcefabric's headless open-source CMS, the agency's IT team was able to simultaneously build Belga.press - a revenue-generating newsfeed application that will host content created by Belga and its industry partners. According to Belga's CIO Tom Wuytack, his team was freed up to invest time and resources into Belga.press even as their new open-source CMS was being integrated into the agency. This flexibility is something he points to as essential for the continued longevity of Belga.
4. Cost effectiveness
Because open-source software solutions are free to access and download, there are no licensing fees to run up costs by thousands or even millions of dollars annually. For pennies on the dollar, open-source software provides unparalleled opportunities for innovation, customisation, and cost sharing.
One cost-sharing example is the Superdesk Desk Wire Club, which was co-founded by the Australian Associated Press (AAP), the Norwegian national news agency (NTB), and the Belgian news agency (Belga) to co-develop Superdesk. For these major media players, open-source solutions make more financial sense than purchasing proprietary technology or building new technology in-house.
5. Help protect freedom of ideas and information
Much like the ideals that define journalism, open-source innovators are champions of free speech. The Internet was created as a place where thoughts, ideas, information, and communication would be open, unencumbered by a centralised authority that could dictate what is suitable for consumption. Investing in open-source software, therefore, is an investment in the freedom of information and the ideals that keep the Internet accessible to all. Open-source software companies are often on the forefront of ensuring media companies, journalists, and other stewards of information have the tools they need to support an informed global population.
6. Proven Model of Success
Around the globe news agencies are facing existential obstacles - threatening their ability to provide vital journalistic services to their audiences. In response, newsrooms are having to find ways to create innovative, enticing content quicker and with less resources. As newsrooms are having to become more agile, open source tools are a natural solution to the dilemma of having to do more with less. The ability to save on operating costs while empowering your newsroom with an ever-improving technological tool box will better prepare news agencies to overcome the barriers to achieve greater success and profitability.
