An Integrated Approach to Covering the Energy Transition - Teaser of keynote of Greentech Media's Scott Clavenna

First we called it Greentech; today we call it the Energy Transition. Regardless of where on the globe it is taking place there will always be a complex mix of technologies, policies, market dynamics and customer behaviors that shape this market. Critically, the energy transition can be quantified, analyzed and related in a multitude of ways.

Where business and trade journalism can definitely stand on their own in digital media businesses, an integrated approach that combines deep industry research with media and events businesses can both strengthen the foundation of the business, but add value to the ways in which journalists cover the energy transition. When teams of journalists and market analysts work alongside each other myriad benefits arise – journalists gain immediate access to the hard-won and unique perspectives and insights of analysts, while analysts can benefit from a better understanding of how to go beyond fundamental data analysis to real “market storytelling.” Beyond these, journalists can find significant help in cutting through marketing noise, political biases, and even the creep of advocacy into stories. The addition of conferences or executive forums add a more personal element to the business, and keeps teams in front of the market throughout the year and interacting with audiences in more tangible ways.

Lastly, it’s worth considering how this kind of integrated approach could underpin one of the more exciting trends in journalism today: data journalism. Where in the model described above, journalists often receive market data and research from analysts and craft stories from that. In the case of data journalism, a wholly new role in the organization emerges, one that sits as a kind of hybrid of the analyst and journalist and draws on their own strengths in statistics, data visualization and data storytelling. We’ve seen this take hold in areas of politics, sports, and public health, among other fields. In energy transition, the opportunities are vast. There are oceans of data in the energy sector that can be explored for unique perspectives and insights that reveal new ways of thinking about technology innovations, policy impacts, customer behaviors and more. All this will be exciting to explore at this year’s GETJ conference!