Introducing Story Object Model (SOM): Connecting Stories, Context and Newsroom Systems

What if stories could move freely between newsroom systems without losing their context?

At IBC2026, we caught up with Milan Varga, Product Manager at Octopus Newsroom, to talk about SOM (Story Object Model) and its potential to support more open, connected and interoperable newsroom workflows.

In this video, Milan shares his perspective on SOM (the Story Object Modelis – an open standard designed to let editorial context move seamlessly between systems) and why interoperability could play an important role in the future of news production.

Octopus Newsroom is proud to be a participant in the project INCUBATOR 2026: Smart Stories – The New Knowledge Architecture for Content Production, working alongside leading media and technology organizations to help shape the future of news production.

Champions:
The Associated Press, Al Jazeera Media Network, The Washington Post, BBC, Channel 4, ITV, Sky, European Broadcasting Union (EBU), NBCUniversal, SMPTE, Reuters, ITN, Scripps Networks Interactive, The Global Creative & Security Community

Participants:
Amazon Web Services (AWS), Octopus Newsroom, Shure, EVS, Cuez, Moments Lab, Perspective Media Group, Google Cloud, Trint, Cognizant, Nuvelics, The Weather Company, HyperContent.AI, LiveU, Fonn Group, Electric Sheep

Watch the video or read the edited Q&A and demo walkthrough below. Recorded at IBC 2026, RAI Amsterdam.

Interview highlights:

What is the Story Object Model (SOM)?

Milan Varga, Octopus Newsroom: The Story Object Model means that the story can be represented in a structured, standard way, so it’s easy for other systems to connect to the story and understand the context throughout the whole production chain. It also allows AI agents to read the context of the story and react to what’s in it. SOM is all about helping the story and its contents move across different systems.

How does SOM simplify integrations between newsroom systems?

Milan Varga, Octopus Newsroom: Instead of pulling data directly from the different systems the customer is using, systems can connect to a SOM bus and get the data there. They need just one connection point, and they will always be updated with the story context.

Last question: a perfect technology partnership in three words?

Milan Varga, Octopus Newsroom: I don’t think I can describe it in three words. But all the vendors in the SOM project are perfect partners: the communication is great, they are open, and we share the idea. So maybe one of the words would be collaboration. It makes the whole integration easier.

How does SOM work? A breaking-news example

In the Smart Stories demo, a simulated breaking story moves across six products through the SOM bus. No central system tells each tool what to do: every tool reads the same story and adds to it.

1. A wire arrives. A Reuters wire says the Prime Minister will make a statement outside Downing Street. The newsroom opens the story in Octopus and writes it to the SOM bus, where it gets a unique story ID.
2. The newsroom plans for both outcomes. In Octopus, the newsroom records what it expects to happen, a resignation, and writes two sets of presenter scripts: one for a resignation, one for no resignation.
3. The story turns urgent. When the lobby briefing is cancelled, the newsroom raises the story to urgent and sets its phase to breaking. Hypercontent, reading the same story, drafts a social post, a reel and a newsletter, but holds them back.
4. Live coverage starts. LiveU reads the story and suggests a unit and a live stream. A journalist approves, and the transmission starts in LiveU Central.
5. The feed joins the story. The recording arrives in Mimir, which attaches it to the story on the bus as an asset.
6. Live transcription. Trint sees the feed and starts transcribing as the Prime Minister speaks. It attaches the transcript to the story and records that an AI model made it.
7. AI flags the moment. Trint watches for the newsroom’s expected outcome. When the Prime Minister resigns, it flags the moment for a person to check and proposes a claim: “The Prime Minister has resigned.” Nothing on the story changes yet.
8. One approval, three confirmations. A journalist approves the claim. That confirms the claim, the transcript and the newsroom’s expectation at once, and logs who approved it and when.
9. The clip is cut. Mimir cuts a clip from the flagged quote and pushes it to Octopus.
10. The right scripts go to air. The resignation scripts are linked into the running order. The other scripts are not, and the story records why.
11. Social content is released. Hypercontent reads the approval from the bus and releases the content it was holding.