Summary

A journalist recounts the evolution of technology reporting from the early 1990s to the present, detailing the challenges of keeping pace with rapid technological advancements and the advent of electronic data interchange (EDI), the internet, and writing robots.

Abstract

The article provides a personal narrative of a journalist's journey through the technology boom, emphasizing the steep learning curve required to report on groundbreaking developments such as EDI, Linux, the Mp3 player, and the World Wide Web. The author highlights the importance of clear communication, free from technical jargon, to make complex technology accessible to a general audience. The piece also touches on the impact of automation in journalism, with robots like the Associated Press's automated process and Automated Insights' Wordsmith platform generating content, and reflects on the author's career progression from covering EDI to becoming an analyst at Gartner during the e-commerce boom in Silicon Valley.

Opinions

The author believes that writing about technology is distinct from technical writing and requires a unique approach to make it understandable to a broad audience.
There is a clear emphasis on the need for journalists to adapt their reporting methods and master new tools amidst the technological revolution.
The author suggests that experts often struggle to explain their work without resorting to jargon, questioning their depth of understanding.
The article conveys a sense of nostalgia and pride in the journalist's ability to evolve with the times, moving from EDI to e-commerce coverage.
The author expresses a cautious acceptance of automation in journalism, acknowledging its efficiency in handling complex data while also recognizing the limitations in covering more nuanced topics like the latest app.

Writing About Technology: The Reporter’s View

Here is what I had to learn

Writing about technology is not “technical writing.” Also, it’s not like writing a novel. When we think or imagine technology, we often think of computers. It is all about code or using the Web for shopping. For some. The idea and application of technology are in our everyday life, from driving our cars to shopping in the supermarket.

Little could I have ever known in 1991 that in 1994 I’d be reporting on something called electronic data interchange (EDI)? I never heard of it, but boy did I learn. In short, EDI is a process by which business information, or inventory, is exchanged electronically from one company to another without paper. EDI was the first “iteration” of electronic commerce.

By diving in head and foot, I became the editor of EDI News, published by Philips Business Information in Washington, D.C.

As the technology boom spread worldwide, long-time journalists like me had to twist ourselves into a pretzel shape to change how we reported news and experience via a vertical learning curve. We needed to get a handle on what was going on outside the newsroom; we also had to master the new mechanisms by which we were to submit our stories.

Plethora of applications

From 1991 to 2000 saw a breakthrough in developments like Linux, a new operating system developed by Linus Torvalds, the Mp3 player, and the publication of Tim Berners-Lee and Robert Cailliau’s “WorldWideWeb: Proposal for a HyperText Project” (HTTP). The HTTP proposal laid the bases for “the most transformative medium of our times.” Within a year, the web made its public debut. Then the Mosaic web browser, the program that retrieves information from the web, exploded in 1993.

Writing for a Non-technical Audience

The phrase, “explain it to me as if I were a 12-year-old child,” did not originate with me, but I did use it a lot. Too often, experts in their field use jargon they think everyone understands. In some cases, experts can’t explain what they are doing without using “jargon.” That is when I wondered if they understood what they were doing at all? Quite a challenge when you are writing for a broad audience. How can I explain something I don’t know? There were not several tech expert journalists today in the early days of exploding technology. The experts were making the product, not reporting on it.

A few tips I learned along the way to help me write clearly:

· Use solid, essential words. People understand concrete things they can imagine. Because a lot of technology is about new ways of doing something, it helps explain with an example.

· Use background information. By giving a little history, readers can put the story into context.

· If possible, use illustrations. It was not easy to do with EDI, but a conveyor belt graphic with products lined up helped get the message of ordering systems quite well.

Writing robots

So far, I’ve escaped being replaced by a robot. Who knows when writing robots will begin to roll into the newsroom? At this time, the Associated Press uses a robotic process to help with complex technology stories. “auto-generates” some of the sports recaps that they run on its Big Ten Network site. Yahoo uses similar technology to create fantasy sports reports custom-made for each user.

Automated Insights writing robot, Wordsmith, will take data and turn it into readable articles. The more data, the better the writing. It is one way of taking complex material and letting the robot sort it out. It works well for real estate when specific data describe a house or lot. Not so much for the latest app.

Leveraging my skills

A robot was not replacing me just yet. I moved up from writing about EDI to the next level of electronic commerce, EDI being the first step. With the explosion of the Web, electronic commerce became “the next big thing,” and everyone wanted to get on board.

That was great for me, as it landed me a job as an analyst at Gartner. The next best part is that the job got me back to California. Life was lovely in the late 1990s in Silicon Valley.

It is still sweet, although the learning curve has not gotten any more lateral.