J-Lab’s Jan Schaffer Reflects Back on 20 Years of Journalism Innovation

By: Jan Schaffer | PBS

J-Lab director Jan Schaffer is wrapping up 20 years of raising money to give it away to fund news startups, innovations and pilot projects. She is pivoting J-Lab to do more writing, custom training and “discrete” projects. After two decades of work at the forefront of journalism innovations, interactive journalism and news startups, she weighs in with some observations and lessons learned. This post addresses journalism innovations and first appeared here.

Little did I expect when I left the Philadelphia Inquirer to come to Washington, D.C., 20 years ago, that I would end up on the front lines of journalism innovation, participatory journalism and news startups ­– just as the journalism industry was on the precipice of profound disruption.