Three themes emerged from early talks with the INMA board and interviews with news executives, academics, and publishing leaders about the new INMA Newsroom Initiative: business models for journalism, creating high-value journalism, and impact and influence. 

This third focus in the INMA Newsroom Initiative is about culture. We’re calling it Impact and Influence. It’s about how to communicate your journalistic motivations, lead other like-minded people, and get beyond the power struggle between “the business and the newsroom.”

Some publishers are a long way down that path, others are starting out, and many encounter tension in the church vs. state divide that is historically a principle of U.S. journalism. Trust, again, is central to this, but it is mostly about trust within publishers — top to bottom and across the organisation where developments like product thinking demand trust and a lack of hierarchy.

“I have heard business people complaining for years about their editor who doesn’t get it. It’s not true anymore. It’s all about journalism, about engaging readers,” says Gerold Riedmann, editor-in-chief at Vorarlberger Nachrichten and managing director at Russmedia in Austria.

The Newsroom Initiative is not just for newsroom leaders and journalists. This section in particular would be valuable for human resources people and if you work in product — anywhere you are driving to promote change, push business goals, and get teams aligned.

“This reader revenue journey begins and ends with culture change,” said Espen Egil Hansen, founder of media consultancy Fyrr and International Advisor at JP/Politikens in Denmark, whose own master class for INMA last year laid the foundation for the Newsroom Initiative. Espen is also due to take part in this month’s master class.

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