The year 2024 has been quite a big year for publishers and journalists, with some defining moments combined with celebrations.

Roller coaster moments were alive in war reporting: the Russia-Ukraine war, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and a series of governments overthrown via coups in West Africa. Media could be seen taking sides, laying bare their biases influenced by either ownership or political inclination.

If anything, the year reminded us of the important role of the media both for a healthy democracy and social change. The year offered a free master class in content and strategy for newsrooms and those keen on maintaining sustainable media.

However, mistakes were not inevitable. The importance of journalism cannot be over emphasised.

In Africa, 18 countries went to the polls. These include Botswana, Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa, Namibia, and Ghana. While the outcomes for these elections were somewhat contested in some instances, the biggest threat to the democratic space has been the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation, and, at times, the media exhibited salient innuendos of falling victim to this cancer.

While the U.S. election did not have any contestations on the outcome, the media fraternity was in dispute on the implications of the presidential candidate endorsement through journalism. Presidential candidate Kamala Harris had more than 50 endorsements from U.S. media establishments while Trump had fewer.

Reports say The Washington Post lost about 200,000 subscribers (which translates to about 8% of its paid circulation of subscribers) because it refused at the last minute to make a planned endorsement of Harris.

In an era where the audience is put first, it remains to be seen how many journalism principles will be evaded due to external influences and the need to remain commercially viable. Credibility and less bias are more demanded than ever before in today’s news content. Our audiences have proven to be sensitive to a cycle of news that is packed as attractive propaganda.

Elections are a hot period when it comes to misinformation and disinformation. It remains to been seen how media would dispel fake news targeting a candidate they had not endorsed. In principle, journalism must create a high level of balance and objectivity, but when you endorse a candidate, how do we draw the line? These are questions researchers have been grappling with.

Strategically, endorsing a candidate would mean publishers are positioning themselves in favour of an incoming government expecting economic benefits and opportunities. But what happens when the candidate loses?

We have long been taught in journalism school that neutrality provides fair judgment in journalism. These developments clearly confirm what Noam Chomsky said in his seminal work on mainstream journalism and the role it plays in the mechanics of power. Chomsky developed five filters that have proven to prescribe how content strategies are developed upon — ownership, advertising, the immediate elite, flak, and the common enemy. This can happen knowingly or unknowingly.

AI: the landmark debate of 2024

This year, AI has become a topical discussion, and calls grew louder about the creation of standards and policies governing AI use in journalism.

The legal drama involving OpenAI, The New York Times, and Canadian news outlets over copyright infringement speaks volumes on the threat of ethics journalism is likely to face with the introduction and application of AI in newsrooms.

While many publishers agree AI is a great companion for journalism, threats posed by this technology have created unsettling conditions for publishers. This is especially true for companies from less developed economies that feel the costs of developing these technologies are prohibitive.

There are fears of loss of originality and creative impulse, and so many questions remain unanswered over the application of AI in journalism: Are journalism jobs guaranteed? Who owns the copyright for content created by AI? Will readers trust content created by AI?

However, it is clear the advent of AI has also allowed newsrooms to adopt AI-powered tools for automated transcription of audio and video recordings, and accelerating content generation and curation processes. Labour-intensive tasks like data analysis, language translation, and video editing have also been revolutionised.

While the prospects of journalism and AI induces possibilities of a brighter future, it is paramount for newsrooms to have AI strategies and partnerships that create synergies for responsible use and strengthening of journalism.

The future of journalism in 2025 and beyond

Going forward, publishers have agreed on the need for journalism to offer a new value proposition. This includes everything from content providing audiences with context and value, to brands that counter various content options, to digital platforms that cannot be trusted.

The declining trust in news across the world offers a front seat experience of the threat news is facing. The cure remains quality journalism that resonates with audience needs. Publishers need to go back to the basics and candidly foster ethical standards with a commitment to transparency and accuracy.

Audience needs are popular and important, and should be part of an editorial strategy.

The demand for data-informed newsrooms needs no corners to cut; data must inform editorial decisions on content strategy. Audience-centric, innovative strategies need to be strengthened, thereby creating value and appetite for quality content.

The future is digital and has been digital for quite some time. It’s high time newsrooms visit their strategies and review what works well and what has failed.

The place for Big Tech in journalism needs scrutiny. With the war on taxes and algorithms that disadvantage public information (including news), publishers need to rethink their models and create platforms that create a direct relationship with the audience.

Of course, AI cannot be ignored. Publishers need to create conditions for experimentation and the quick adoption of technologies for a competitive advantage. This can also enhance storytelling.

Revenues are a hot topic right now, and many newsrooms are wounded, some have closed, and some are on the verge of collapse. But the key message for the future is the need to diversify revenue generation and experiment with news models customisable to the economy.

Some media companies have already adopted subscriptions, pay-per-view options, memberships, events, native content, e-papers, e-commerce, and value-added services as their new commercial models, ditching legacy forms like copy sales and advertising the traditional way.

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