The idea that young people don’t consume news has been repeated for years. In reality, they do — but in ways that differ sharply from their parents and grandparents.

Subscriptions are not always a priority, and the value of journalism is not always clear to them. For Clarín, Argentina’s largest news brand, this gap became a starting point to design strategies aimed at making journalism more tangible and relevant to students and young professionals.

Universities as entry points

When Clarín asked itself where to find young people, the answer was straightforward: universities. Students spend much of their time there, and those pursuing higher education need reliable information to navigate both their studies and the wider world.

Conversations with the country’s leading universities revealed a recurring theme: Students wanted to move beyond theory, to experience journalism firsthand, and to meet the professionals who produce the news they consume.

This insight led to the creation of “Journalist for a Day,” a programme in which students spend an entire day in Clarín’s newsroom. They tour different sections, speak with editors, correspondents, and managers, and observe the daily routines of a major media outlet.

At the end of the programme, they receive free digital subscriptions and access to Clarín’s benefits platform — not as a reward but as an invitation to keep exploring journalism on their own. 

Building bridges with journalism schools

Another initiative, “Journalists for Future Journalists,” gives students the chance to interview senior media figures live, in front of peers. For many, these encounters also count as professional practice hours, a requirement at most universities.

Clarín has also signed agreements with UADE and UCA, two of Argentina’s top private universities, to include Clarín content in journalism courses. Beyond access to articles, the partnership includes lectures by Clarín journalists on topics such as artificial intelligence in the newsroom, SEO, media ethics, and special reporting.

In 2024, to mark the 30th anniversary of TN, Clarín’s 24-hour news channel, 12 journalism students from across the country were awarded scholarships to join an executive programme certified by the University of Belgrano.

For many of them, it was also an opportunity to travel to Buenos Aires for the first time. 

Reaching beyond academia

Universities are not the only places where young people can be found. In 2024, Clarín became a media sponsor of Lollapalooza Argentina, a festival that attracts more than 300,000 young people each year.

While music and journalism may seem like separate worlds, the goal was to extend Clarín’s presence to spaces where cultural identity and youth trends are shaped.

At the same time, Grupo Clarín launched a series of short profiles featuring employees under 30 on its corporate social media channels. These testimonies were aimed not only at projecting a younger employer brand but also at highlighting how new generations are shaping journalism from within the newsroom. 

Learning along the way

None of these initiatives is presented as a definitive answer. Instead, they serve as opportunities to listen, observe, and adapt. Visits to the newsroom, university partnerships, cultural sponsorships, and social media campaigns have also functioned as informal focus groups, offering insights into how young people read, share, and value news.

The experience has challenged assumptions: young audiences are not indifferent to journalism, but their engagement requires different formats, language, and contexts. The lesson is clear: Building trust with new generations is less about imposing habits and more about meeting them where they are.

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