The New York Times’ Leslie Kaufman writes about the deal MSNBC has going with Vocativ for its Ronan Farrow show…
When Ronan Farrow, the young human rights lawyer with a Hollywood lineage, debuts as an MSNBC host on Monday, he will have some prodigious computing power backing him up.
MSNBC has struck a partnership with Vocativ, a digital news start-up, to provide the new program — “Ronan Farrow Daily” — with up to three taped video segments a week. Vocativ mines the Internet for exclusive news and other content with data-collection software traditionally used by governments and corporations.
Phil Griffin, president of MSNBC, said Vocativ’s marriage of big data and conventional reporting was an innovative approach to journalism. “It is an additional tool for us,” he said. “And who knows where it is going to go for the entire NBC News group.”
Update: MSNBC put out a release on the Vocativ news…
MSNBC TO COLLABORATE WITH VOCATIV TO UNEARTH UNIQUE AND COMPELLING NEWS STORIES FROM THE ‘DEEP WEB’
The Global Social News Network Will Produce News Programming for MSNBC and Other NBCUniversal News Group Platforms
NEW YORK – February 24, 2014 – MSNBC announced today that the network will collaborate with Vocativ, a startup media company for the digital generation, on the production of news stories for MSNBC and NBCUniversal News Group digital properties. The announcement was made by Phil Griffin, President of MSNBC, and Mati Kochavi, Founder of Vocativ.Initially launching on “Ronan Farrow Daily” (weekdays at 1 p.m. ET on MSNBC) and msnbc.com, the Vocativ-produced stories will cover a broad range of topics and trends from around the world. Vocativ content will also appear on other NBCU News Group digital platforms.
Vocativ tells bold, unique news stories for a global audience. Its proprietary technology analyzes the “deep web” – the 80 percent of the open Internet that search engines do not reach – to uncover new voices and perspectives.
“Vocativ gives MSNBC even more tools to enhance our storytelling capabilities,” said Griffin. “Our audience is always looking for smart, original reporting. The collaboration with Vocativ extends our ability to connect them with fresh voices and perspectives from around the world.”
“Our proprietary technology lets us identify and analyze open data signals that are lost in the vast sea of digital information,” said Kochavi. “What sets Vocativ apart is our ability to separate the signal from the noise in billions of conversations happening around the world. We look forward to spotlighting for MSNBC viewers some of these amazing stories.”
Said Scott Cohen, CEO of Vocativ: “MSNBC and ‘Ronan Farrow Daily’ have a fresh approach to news that’s provocative and honest – a sensibility Vocativ shares. Together, we’ll feature stories that resonate with broad audiences, reveal hidden truths, and push the envelope of journalism and storytelling.”
Filed under: MSNBC
