Why Is It So Hard To Write About Innovation?

Nearly 20 years. That’s how long I’ve been an innovation journalist, in addition to my day jobs, first as the CTO of HP and now as CEO of CableLabs. It started with my blog in 1996 and then launched with the creating and hosting of the podcast (and sometimes nationally syndicated talk radio) Killer Innovations Show in 2005.

The Changing of Innovation

When I started, the term “innovation” was still relatively unknown. It was mostly used to describe new products and services in technology circles. Today, it’s become a buzzword describing how organizations strive, fumble, and hope for that new product or service. It seems every organization wants to innovate “like Apple” to claim the “innovation premium” and the attention that comes with it.

But this widespread enthusiasm for innovation has created a paradox: the more companies that claim to be innovative, the greater the challenge for innovation journalists to find and report compelling stories. While many enterprises have embraced the innovation mindset, only some can share concrete examples of becoming innovative leaders.

The burden falls on the innovation journalists who must navigate an ocean of exaggerated claims and dubious promises. It’s their responsibility to steer clear of adding to the innovation hype, which is no easy feat!

Why Is Innovation A Hard Topic?

Innovation is difficult to write about because it covers a wide range of topics. It could be anything from innovative technology and science to the latest trends in business or even social and cultural movements. The challenges include:

Pace of Innovation

With cutting-edge advancements emerging with lightning speed, what we once considered groundbreaking can quickly become outdated and antiquated overnight. To capture it accurately, journalists must constantly stay ahead when writing about this ever-evolving subject. It’s challenging to figure out what is important and worth writing about, especially with so many innovators competing for attention.

Innovation Expertise

Writing about innovation requires expertise and knowledge to understand what’s going on. With the decline in newsrooms over the last decade, the number of journalists dedicated to innovation, science, and technology has dropped significantly. The burden has shifted to independent journalists who work as freelancers or who self-publish out of passion.

Innovation Journalist Standards

The readers (or listeners of podcasts) expect accuracy, skepticism, and transparency about the innovations a journalist reports about. This is a tall order for journalists, especially with limited resources and time. In addition, the lack of uniform standards makes it hard to assess an innovation’s impact or effectiveness objectively.

The Results of Getting It Wrong

Because of the drive for speed, some innovation journalists skip due diligence and write overly optimistic articles. This has led to the rise of “innovation hype”—the tendency to overestimate or exaggerate an innovation’s potential and benefits. There is a significant risk in presenting a half-baked story that is misleading.

For example, when Fortune and Forbes put Elizabeth Holmes on their front covers in the Summer of 2014, they took the claims made by her company, Theranos, and treated them as facts. Other magazines jumped on the bandwagon, assuming that Fortune and Forbes had done their homework. They hadn’t. It was only after investigative reporting by the Wall Street Journal that the truth about Theranos came to light.

Putting It All Together

Writing about innovation is not like writing about other topics—it requires a particular set of skills and dedication to stay current. Writing about innovation isn’t easy—but it’s not impossible either.

Crafting compelling articles and podcasts requires conscientious research and an eye for detail to discover unique angles that capture readers’ interest and relay accurate information. This allows innovation journalists to go beyond regurgitating press releases and help readers understand why an innovation matters, its impact, and how it could shape the future.

Innovation journalism is not just for the “experts.” Dedication and hard work make it possible for even novice reporters to make their mark by becoming reliable news sources.

Innovation journalism is a challenge, but it doesn’t have to be. It’s a difficult job but one that can be rewarding for both the reporter and the reader/listener. By doing the hard work of quality reporting and engaging readers with thoughtful stories, innovation journalism can ensure we don’t fall victim to the hype or false promises again.

Epilog

A group has come together as contributors to an innovation newsroom called The Innovators Network. We aim to ensure that quality and thoughtful reporting about innovation becomes the norm, not the exception. We hope you’ll join us on our mission to make innovation journalism matter.

We look forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas!

If you would like to become a contributor, contact us at hello@theinnovators.network . We’d love to hear from you!

Thank you for your support and interest in innovation journalism.