Digital Innovation Digital Publishing
2 mins read

Will 5G define the future of news reporting? The Post is betting on it.

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AT&T will bring 5G technology to The Post’s newsroom, reporters out in the field.

The Washington Post today announced plans to work with AT&T to bring 5G technologies to The Washington Post newsroom and to explore how The Post can use 5G in their coverage of the 2020 presidential election and other top news events across the country. The Washington Post and AT&T will also test new applications of 5G technologies that could define the future of news reporting.

“The Post has focused heavily on the reader experience, and an important part of that is our ability to create an immersive, engaging experience along with our reporting and to deliver that with the best site and app performance readers expect from us,” said Scot Gillespie, Chief Technology Officer at The Post.

“With AT&T’s 5G technology, we will not only be able to deliver news more quickly, but we will also be able to deliver it in completely new and compelling ways that are enabled by leveraging the capabilities of 5G.”

Scot Gillespie, Chief Technology Officer at The Post

In addition to The Post’s work in 5G, the news organization will use AT&T Global Video Services to cover live events throughout the 2020 campaign, starting with The Post’s live video program at the Democratic presidential debate on Nov. 20. The Post will also work with AT&T to evaluate ways 5G might be used for future coverage of the 2020 presidential campaign.

In addition, as news breaks throughout the country, The Post plans to experiment with reporters using millimeter wave 5G+ technology to transmit their stories, photos and videos faster and more reliably, whether they are covering forest fires on the West Coast or hurricane weather in the southeast.

The Washington Post’s headquarters will be connected with 5G and related technologies, helping to make newsroom operations faster and more reliable, and The Post and AT&T will launch an innovation lab within the building to explore ways the technology can enhance storytelling capabilities. The Post will test new formats, exploring what the future of digital storytelling could look like from making visuals 4D or creating more immersive news experiences.

“When you think about industries that have been undergoing digital transformations, journalism is easily near the top of that list,” said Mo Katibeh, EVP-Chief Marketing Officer, AT&T Business. “New technologies have always been at the forefront of quality journalism. The printing press, radio, broadcast TV news, cable TV news…they’ve all revolutionized the news cycle. 5G and 5G-related technologies are next.”

“We are writing the future of news gathering and delivery.”

Mo Katibeh, EVP-Chief Marketing Officer, AT&T Business

WP BrandStudio and AT&T will produce a behind-the-scenes series that explores how news and video programming come together from a technical perspective. The campaign will begin with a look at how The Post transmits its live video program from the Nov. 20 debate location to its readers.

The Washington Post livestream of the Nov. 20 NBC-Washington Post presidential debate is presented by AT&T Business. (The Washington Post)
The Washington Post livestream of the Nov. 20 NBC-Washington Post presidential debate is presented by AT&T Business. (The Washington Post)