Greenslade Reports From The Multimedia Coalface

National newspapers are “forging ahead” of their regional counterparts in the development of multimedia newsrooms, according to a media commentator.

Newspaper veteran Roy Greenslade reached this conclusion following his recent tour of the London offices of the Times, Financial Times and Daily Telegraph.

Writing in the Guardian, Greenslade says his visits to the three multimedia newsrooms showed him that “journalists have grasped, or are beginning to grasp, the benefits of integration, not only at a practical level but as a philosophy”.

The journalism professor outlines his impressions of the three state-of-the-art offices and reveals some of their innovative features - such as the projected wall screen at the Daily Telegraph which provides real-time feedback on the popularity of online stories.

Greenslade declares the Telegraph newsroom “is a terrific working environment”, while the hub in the Financial Times office ensures there is no “territorial demarcation” between print and online operations.

Meanwhile, Greenslade states that the newsroom of the Times feels organised and adds that “integration between print and web is being accomplished without apparent pain”.

And finally, the former Daily Mirror editor leaves us with a prediction – that the Times may see staff mergers with its Sunday title in the future, similar to those carried out at the Daily and Sunday Telegraph.