The words “news” and “journalism” are often used interchangeably. But they aren’t the same. 

Your value proposition to readers is heavily dependent upon providing journalism, not just news. But if asked to define the difference, could you articulate it? 

We delved into this subject during last month’s INMA CEO Roundtable in Vail, where 50 media executives from across the world met to talk about everything from AI to user needs to the definition of journalism. 

I asked the group of C-suite executives to pen a definition of journalism and collected their responses at the end. Read on to see what they said.

And I’d love to hear your definition of journalism: amalie.nash@inma.org. 

Amalie

P.S.: Register now for my Newsroom Transformation Initiative master class! We’ll tackle such subjects as what it means to transform your newsroom, how to become more relevant by understanding your audience, and case studies and lessons on newsroom reorganisation and transformation. It takes place over three modules on October 10, 15 and 17.

News is information, journalism is context 

The Next Gen News report published earlier this year identified numerous gaps between what we think readers want and what they actually want. 

We think consumers want constant streams of updated news, but they want context, solutions, and to understand how news impacts their lives. 

That is the crux of how journalism differs from news. 

One Vail participant explained it this way:

• News is the car accident.

• Journalism is how the car accident will change your commute. It’s about how many accidents have happened at that intersection, prompting a change to the layout of the intersection. 

Too often, we simply stop at the car accident. We say what happened, but not why. We provide facts and details, but not how they impact people’s lives.

A few other definitions of journalism vs. news from the executives at the roundtable:

• News: information, happenings, updates. Journalism: context, perspective, expertise. 

• Journalism is keeping readers engaged and coming back for more. News is just a way to deliver output. Journalism today needs a voice and a purpose. 

• Journalism is the process of reviewing information to determine what is true, putting information in context without bias. News is raw information on what happened.

• News is a description of what is happening. Journalism is storytelling that people can relate to. It is balanced and fact-based.

So how much news do you produce on a daily basis and how much journalism do you produce?

This is a key question in our fragmented media ecosystem. There are so many places to find news and information, from traditional sources to social media to GenAI tools. Our differentiator is journalism. 

How might we better focus on journalism instead of news?

• Audit a week’s worth of content to get an understanding of how much is currently news and how much is journalism. There’s no magic balance — you’re bound to publish some things that are simply news and information — but you want to ensure the majority of the content you are providing is journalism.

• Pay attention to user needs. News typically falls into the “update me” category, whereas journalism meets other needs — “educate me,” “give me perspective,” etc. Is too much of your content simply “update me?”

• Analyse your metrics to better understand what is resonating with your audience. News stories can generate pageviews, but those are often coming from search and don’t lead to repeat visitors. Your journalism is what leads to higher frequency, engaged time, and overall loyalty and stickiness.

• Write your own definition of journalism vs. news for the audience you serve and share it with your newsroom. Talk about what a stronger focus on journalism means and how to get there.

Have any advice to add to this list? E-mail me: amalie.nash@inma.org. 

Other newsroom takeaways from the CEO Roundtable

At the end of our time together in Vail, we asked participants to jot down on Post-it notes what they planned to take back from the roundtable to their organisations. Top themes included AI takeaways, the importance of brand, and being more customer-centric. 

Several themes related to newsrooms and, more broadly, cultural change. Many CEOs still feel there’s a disconnect between the newsroom and other parts of the organisation. That’s why it’s so important to get journalists into the business of journalism — so everyone understands success and priorities.

Below, I’m including some of the Post-it takeaways that are most relevant to newsrooms, along with my commentary.

• We can’t blame the audience if they aren’t using us as we are: “Journalism has to stop being the only industry where the customer is always wrong,” said Shirish Kulkarni, journalist, researcher, community organiser, and News Innovation Research Fellow of Media Cymru at the Cardiff University School of Journalism. This quote speaks to me — we need to deliver journalism in the ways that people want to consume it instead of sticking to traditional formats and blaming readers for not being interested.

• Audience vs. traffic: “There’s a difference. Traffic can pay the bills, but the bucket is infinitely leaky. Engaging and connecting with an audience ensures your site becomes a place people actively go to — not just a place where they wind up,” said Josh Awtry, senior vice president of audience at Newsweek. As direct traffic becomes more important, we need to focus on audience more than traffic.

• Create presentation formats to help journalists tell more engaging stories: The Next Gen News report identifies a gap here: We think readers want 800-word stories, but they want personalised and customised content, delivered in the ways they understand — like social media provides. 

• Focus more on user needs with support from editorial, product, and marketing: User needs are an effective tool for assessing your content mix and ensuring you are giving readers what they want. There are many case studies and examples of media companies seeing positive results by focusing on user needs.

• Ensure we create content readers want to read: In the end, this is what matters. Becoming audience-centric — meeting people’s needs and delivering journalism in the formats they want it in — will ensure our relevancy into the future. 

What resonates with you in these takeaways? E-mail me: amalie.nash@inma.org. 

Mark your calendars 

Upcoming INMA events that shouldn’t be missed:

• October 10-17: Newsroom Transformation master class. We will dive into metrics and KPIs that today’s journalists must know if news brands are to deliver impact and influence in a fast-changing world. We will look at establishing newsroom-wide KPIs, creating a data-fluent newsroom culture, understanding what data can and can’t tell us, and using data to guide decisions on what to stop doing. Register now.

• October 21-25: Los Angeles Tech Innovation Study Tour. Learn from the home of Hollywood on subjects ranging from audio, video, commerce, and social. Guided by INMA Product & Tech Initiative Lead Jodie Hopperton. Register now.

About this newsletter

Today’s newsletter is written by Amalie Nash, based in Denver, Colorado, United States, and lead for the INMA Newsroom Transformation Initiative. Amalie will share research, case studies, and thought leadership on the topic of bringing newsrooms into the business of news.

This newsletter is a public face of the Newsroom Transformation Initiative by INMA, outlined here. E-mail Amalie at amalie.nash@inma.org or connect with her on INMA’s Slack channel with thoughts, suggestions, and questions.

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