Minute by minute: how GEN Live Desk is covering the US elections
In the exciting final days leading up to the US Presidential elections, 50 journalists from 46 countries have been beta testing GEN Live Desk, a new liveblogging tool.
Situated in various parts of the United States, these journalists will be using the tool's sophisticated back office to provide a constant stream of relevant social media sources. You can catch all the action on the ICFJ website as the election progresses and read more about the project in our press release.
Ground work and collaborative interest fosters the tool
Initially GEN Live Desk sought to build a tool so that journalists would be better able to cover large-scale, live, events. What began as a Google-funded initiative from GEN's Editors' Lab programme, was then brought forward through a collaborative partnership between GEN, the Global Editors Network and Sourcefabric. This was further developed alongside journalists from the BBC, the Guardian, Le Monde and other cutting-edge media organizations.
Network of editors contribute to the development
GEN's network of editors from around the world was matched by Sourcefabric's dedication to build open source tools for journalists. Pairing these assets resulted in a tool that is truly built by and for quality journalism. In the final days the reporters have been using the tool to disseminate breaking news about the election. And because GEN Live Desk is still in its infancy, the participating journalists feedback from the experience will provide integral information to the core members of the development team who will continue to advance the tool.
Future plans using Superdesk technology
GEN Live Desk is one of the first examples of a tool built with Superdesk technology. The tool has yet to be launched, but is intended to work alongside media organisations and aid cross-platform dissemination and workflow management. Tools like GEN Live desk will work similarly to others in development like Citizen Desk, a tool for citizen journalism. These may be expanded and work alongside one another to suit the particular needs of a news organisation.
Outcome and hopes
As Bertrand Pecquerie, the CEO of the Global Editors Network states, "our members told us there was a need for an easier way to cover live events." GEN Live Desk is the solution built between groups who are united in the effort to support journalism and this event is sure to be a great test-site for all those involved.
- You can read more about GEN Live Desk here.
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