At NTM, we know that to secure the future of local journalism, we need to ensure our most valuable resource — the reporter — is on top of things. That’s why we just launched a new, in-house reporter training programme.

It’s one of our most ambitious editorial investments yet — a hands-on academy designed by and for our own newsrooms. Our goal is to shape the kind of journalists who can engage, explain, and inspire a new generation of readers in our local communities.

We call it simply NTM’s reporter training.

Basics of the programme

As one of Sweden’s largest foundation-owned media groups with 16 local newsrooms, we’ve set a clear and bold target: 250,000 digital subscribers by 2028, with at least 100,000 of them younger than 50 years old.

To get there, we must create journalism that provides real value to a new generation of local media consumers. That starts with the people who produce it.

Our training programme is a key part of this transformation — not as a side project, but as a strategic lever in our Expedition 250,000 plan. We’re not just training reporters. We’re investing in a new kind of local journalist.

Our training programme responds to two hard truths we’ve uncovered in our data:

First, while we attract many new digital subscribers, we lose too many too soon. They don’t always see the value in our journalism. We must offer more than just breaking news; we must of inform readers, of course, but we must also be able to explain, guide, and engage.

Second, we’re not growing fast enough in the 30-50 age bracket segment. This group spends the least amount of time with media. Their expectations are high. They need journalism that fits into a fast, mobile-first lifestyle and speaks directly to their lives.

Training the journalists

The programme spans three semesters over 18 months, blending on-site workshops with digital peer sessions for our 320 journalists. Each module is designed around a real editorial challenge, with a practical approach and immediate application in the newsroom.

There are six modules:

1. The transformation of the journalistic role

We discuss the rise of AI-generated journalism and how competitors’ lower thresholds to start up a newsroom with little resources will affect us. We discuss how we can use AI-powered tools to improve, not replace, human reporting. And, also what human reporters in a legacy brand like ours need to do to stand out from AI-powered start-up newsrooms.

What are our core values and our unique selling points (USPs), and how do we hold on to the trust we’ve built over many years?

2. Audience centred journalism

We explore how to reach and engage our most crucial demographic group: readers 30-39 years old. What’s on their minds, and how do we choose stories to tell that they will fancy? How do we prepare for the reporting, how must we act out on the field and what do we need to do when we get back to the newsroom?

User needs is a fundamental part of our journalistic process. Every participant brings real examples from their daily work to the workshop. Together, we discuss how those stories could be stronger, more relevant, and more aligned with our editorial strategy.

3. Visual storytelling

A key part of our spring module focuses on visual journalism. According to our analytics, younger audiences respond especially well to images, video, and mobile-friendly formats.
So, we’re teaching practical skills, like how to navigate better photography, more dynamic video, and smarter visual editing.

But, more importantly, we’re teaching a mindset: how to think visually, emotionally, and digitally from the start of the reporting process. We want our journalism to look like it belongs in 2025.

4. The craft of journalism

This is about sharpening our fundamentals: interviewing techniques, writing introductions, quoting, using visuals effectively, and building stories that are relevant for real.

5. Power scrutiny and investigative work

Our fifth module is about making power visible. We train our reporters to use public data, ask harder questions, and connect the dots between policy and people’s lives.

We also emphasise accessibility. Great investigative work must be understandable, shareable, and relevant to readers younger than 50. We challenge our reporters to transform investigations into stories that stick.

6. Module to be decided

Module six will be decided later on. Developments happen quickly, so we’re keeping this one open for a while.

Hands-on training

We believe in learning by doing, so before each module, reporters submit one of their own articles or videos. During the training, we use these real examples to identify what worked — and what didn’t. After the training, participants reassemble in small digital groups to present what they’ve tried back in the newsroom.

This is not about ticking a box. It’s about building a habit of reflection and ongoing learning. This loop of theory leads to practice leads to feedback leads to application. It is one of the programme’s core strengths. It connects training with real newsroom impact.

“This programme isn’t just about techniques. It’s about culture,” said Maria Kustvik, publicist manager. “We want our newsrooms to be places where learning is continuous, feedback is welcomed, and the audience is always present in our thinking. That’s why our editors also are part of the training.”

NTM’s reporter training is one of many pieces in a much larger puzzle, but the company’s management team believes it’s a crucial one:

“If we want journalism that makes a difference, we need reporters who are equipped to deliver it. That means training. That means time. And that means trust,” said Nils Olauson, head of editorial operations in NTM. “We’re proud to invest in our people. We’re proud to build the kind of journalism that our readers — especially younger ones — actually want, need, and value. And most of all, we’re excited about what our reporters will do next.”

“It’s like a boot camp. These training sessions are not just about listening to someone telling you what to do,” Kustvik said. “The participants need to actively take part in discussions and find the way forward together with their colleagues. And, afterward, continue the work on their new insights in their own local newsrooms.”

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