If you’ve read my newsletter before, you’ll know one challenge I repeatedly hear about from newsrooms is that it is relatively easy to build technologically advanced tools — but much harder to get humans to use them.

Newsrooms are full of overworked, exhausted journalists who view AI as one more thing they now have to learn how to use. (Though not particular to the media industry, this fascinating study finds introducing AI means staff are working in what used to be their leisure time and increasingly absorbing work that might previously have justified additional help or headcount.)

How does one smooth the path between great ideas and their implementation in the newsroom? Let’s look at what’s working at Switzerland’s Neue Zürcher Zeitung.

The key is to ensure you pave the way to success effectively by creating a bridge role that translates newsroom needs into product decisions — and product constraints back into editorial reality, according to Alban Mazrekaj, who leads the editorial product development team at NZZ.

Journalists “work under tight deadlines, editorial constraints, and cultural norms that rarely show up in road maps or Jira tickets. If product teams don’t deeply understand that reality, they will build tools and features that look great in demos — and quietly fail in production,” Mazrekaj points out. (I found myself nodding along as I read this. You too?)

The solution is to move product ownership closer to where journalistic decisions are made. “The editorial product manager role was positioned as a way to reduce friction, speed up implementation, and increase impact — without challenging editorial independence or product authority,” he said.

What does this actually look like? 

Recruit someone from within the newsroom. (Let’s face it, journalists don’t want to be told how to do their jobs by someone from another department. We are most likely to listen to members of our own tribe.) And don’t worry about their having technical experience. Instead, make sure the candidate is curious about audiences, asks questions about impact, and shows interest in processes, data, and trade-offs, Mazrekaj said.

And “the most underestimated decision” NZZ made? The editorial product manager works closely with designers and developers, and all of them sit in the newsroom rather than in the technology department. 

This is important because they are visible and are seen as having an editorial function (rather than outsiders) but also because it builds trust with editors, who see their colleagues understand how they work. The added bonus is issues are resolved quickly, often informally, rather than turning into tickets or Slack threads that could take much longer.

“Physical and cultural proximity matter more than process-heavy alignment. Sitting in the newsroom, sharing context, and being part of daily editorial reality creates trust that no road map or OKR framework can replace,” Mazrekaj pointed out.

And when ideas are brought forward by people who understand newsroom practices, responsibilities, and decision-making, they are more likely to be implemented well.

“One initiative illustrates the impact of this mindset shift particularly well. User research showed that readers value opinion journalism, but many had trouble distinguishing opinion pieces from reported articles — especially younger audiences. The resulting product idea: Make opinion content visually distinct, including clearer author signaling,” Mazkeraj said.

“The design idea was straightforward, but cultural and operational dimensions came into play. Not every journalist is comfortable with increased personal visibility, for instance. But the editorial product manager understood this sensitivity and highlighted ways that the change strengthened the authorial voice. 

“Adding author photos to articles also required workflow changes, metadata and CMS updates, and coordination with photo editors — all of which the editorial product manager was well-placed to handle with precise requirements and contextual fluency.”

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Banner art: Adobe Stock By Michael Derrer Fuchs.

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