Michael Skoler
Michael Skoler entered journalism 25 year ago, after leaving the French wine business and buying a book titled How to Be a Freelance Writer. His work in print, radio, and television has received numerous honors. Skoler joined Minnesota Public Radio/American Public Media in 2003 as managing director of news. He and his team created a new model for journalism at Minnesota Public Radio – one that systematically taps the insights and expertise of the public to both broaden and strengthen news coverage. In 2006, Skoler became the founding executive director of the Center for Innovation in Journalism at American Public Media.
The Public Insight Journalism (PIJ) model features online games, simulations and collaborative tools, a public source network of over 40,000 people, a contact database that tracks expertise and interactions, and knowledge management software. Minnesota Public Radio News and American Public Media national shows, such as Marketplace, Speaking of Faith, American RadioWorks and Weekend America, use PIJ to identify emerging stories, define major news projects, gather information on deadline and find diverse sources. The Center for Innovation in Journalism is training and supporting newsrooms around the country to use PIJ.
Skoler’s background bridges the editorial and business worlds. After a decade as a science and foreign correspondent for National Public Radio, he earned an MBA as a Frank Batten Media Fellow at the University of Virginia. He then worked as a management consultant on his own and for McKinsey and Company serving mainly media and e-commerce companies.
Skoler’s earlier experience included writing a daily, syndicated radio show for CBS, television reporting for WGBH in Boston, and freelance writing for magazines ranging from Glamour to American Health and Reader’s Digest. He traveled and wrote for the popular Let’s Go travel guides. He has taught and lectured on journalism both in the U.S. and Africa. He is a Harvard University graduate and was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard in 1992-93.
Video from the Symposium