Idea Lab

If We Were Starting NPR's Project Argo in 2012

by Matt Thompson
2010 Knight News Challenge Winner

For the past two years, I've been working on Project Argo -- a collaboration among NPR and 12 member stations in which the stations launched 12 niche websites on a platform we developed (built on WordPress), each putting their own spin on a common editorial model. As the pilot phase of Argo comes to a close, and we turn our attention to spreading and operationalizing what we've learned more broadly throughout the public media system, the question I get more than any other is, "If you were to start back at the beginning, what would you do differently?"I'd reframe the...

• December 27, 2011
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The Argo Philosophy: Capitalize, Synthesize, Harmonize

by Matt Thompson
2010 Knight News Challenge Winner

Part of the mission behind NPR's Project Argo is to construct a software platform that can maximize the output of a one- or two-person team of reporters. Project Argo is a collaboration between NPR and member stations to strengthen public media's role in local journalism. As the project has progressed, we've realized that we evolved a set of design and development principles that have guided our work throughout. This is how software invention looks in the era of the framework: Ten years ago, armed with an unstoppable designer/developer combo like Argo's tech architect, Marc Lavallee, and our designer/front-end developer,...

• August 9, 2011
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How Project Argo Members Communicate Across Time Zones

by Matt Thompson
2010 Knight News Challenge Winner

Project Argo is an ambitious undertaking. It involves networking NPR with 12 member stations spanning three time zones with a different mix of bloggers and editors at each station. The stations cover a variety of regionally focused, nationally resonant topics that range from climate change to local music. Communicating effectively within these parameters has required creativity and experimentation. And we're still learning. I'll break down our various approaches -- what we've tried, what's working, and what we're still working on -- using the three tiers of communication: One-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many. One-to-one communication These exchanges with the stations have offered...

• March 29, 2011
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