INMA CEO/Executive Director Earl J. Wilkinson kicked off the 85th-annual World Congress of News Media conference in New York on Wednesday by exploring the macro-trends shaping the industry today, including changing consumer revenue models and brand innovation.

Wilkinson began with a frank discussion on the Trump administration’s attacks on the free press.

Donald Trump and news media

“We might as well confront the elephant in the room, and I think we know who that elephant is,” Wilkinson said. “Say what you want to about Donald Trump, but he’s the biggest news story in the world today. He is testing the guardrails of our democracy in the United States. He’s attacking pillars of society and remaking them in his own image.

But in the face of these challenges, Wilkinson expressed optimism about the ability of journalists to meet this moment and hold those in power accountable. 

“Look at what’s happening in our news organisations,” Wilkinson said. “There’s a renewed sense of mission, a surge in investigative reporting, and an expansion of fact-checking operations.”

Even so, Wilkinson concedes that President Trump’s second term has changed the business calculations for the news media industry. From considering how much to cooperate with Big Tech companies to how to shield against government interference, the news business increasingly has to contend with what Wilkinson called the “tightening of press freedom regimes.”

Changing business models

Amid this industry upheaval, media companies are also dealing with struggling business models. Wilkinson observed that American outlets are grappling with financial issues that European ones have managed to avoid.

“One of the biggest differentiators for me when I look at Europe and I look at North America is that North American media companies, in the aggregate, are dramatically undercapitalised and dealing with debt,” said Wilkinson. “Many European companies are just not.”

For companies to successfully navigate this evolving media landscape, they need to create a new, more personalised connection with their consumers to bolster subscriber retention.

“We’re seeing this from scale to direct relationships,” said Wilkinson. “We’re moving from chasing anonymous scale to cultivating direct, known, and engaged audiences.”

While the news industry looks for new ways to foster this engagement with consumers, media outlets must also remain alert to changing audience habits and adapt their business models accordingly. Wilkinson warned attendees about “the declining referrals and the rise of zero-click behaviour.”

The rebirth of the brand

Branding is key to meeting the demands of the modern news consumer. Crafting a resonant and relatable brand is a huge differentiating factor for outlets in this crowded media industry. 

“All roads seem to lead to this rebirth of brand,” Wilkinson said. “Brands are oftentimes devoid of enough personality and of enough emotional resonance. We rely too much on our own history.”

What media companies need to do, Wilkinson said, is center their brand around a particular emotion, theme, or value — and carry that ethos across their channels, whether it’s print or digital. 

“You can be funny with your branding campaign, nostalgic, or patriotic,” Wilkinson said. “Wrap yourself in your flag, whatever that flag is.” 

Although Wilkinson acknowledged the shadow Trump has cast over the entire news industry, Wilkinson cautioned media outlets against centering their entire brand on covering the U.S. president. 

“I have to tell you folks, you can be obsessed with this guy, but he ain’t gonna be around in four years,” said Wilkinson. “What I have learned in 35 years of doing this is this: You don’t build strategy on the fever of the moment. You build it on the things that won’t change.”

Wilkinson implored audience members that, amidst the powerful challenges and threats that news outlets are facing, journalists need to double down on their mission of speaking truth to power.

“Democracy doesn’t die in darkness,” Wilkinson said. “It dies in silence. It dies with a thousand pulled punches that weaken journalism and ultimately weaken society.”

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