Editors from leading publications around the world gathered for a panel at the INMA World Congress of News Media to discuss how journalists must adapt their content strategies for an era in which the way audiences consume news is undergoing radical evolution. 

Seizing the AI opportunity 

Sally Buzbee, news editor/USA and Canada for Reuters in the United States, warned media organisations that are reluctant to embrace AI risk being left behind by outlets that take advantage of the emerging technology. 

“I think many newsrooms have been so scared of AI and of the technology that is disrupting our industry in so many ways,” Buzbee said. “I am really blessed to be at a place that is positively engaging with how we can make this new technology help our journalism and amplify our journalism. There are a million opportunities in terms of surfacing content, curating content, and making archives more efficient.”

At the same time, news outlets should be wary of centring AI throughout their entire business. AI should be deployed strategically, not just for the sake of it, noted Gerold Riedmann, editor-in-chief at Der Standard in Austria.

“In some boardrooms, I have heard the new KPI is how much of your content is AI-touched,” Riedmann lamented. 

Strategies for the modern newsroom 

Lotta Edling, editorial director at Bonnier News in Sweden, discussed how media companies can enhance their local reporting during a period of growing uncertainty about the financial sustainability of local news. 

“Decentralise the editorial leadership,” Edling said. “Even if a local newsroom only has two or three reporters, they should have their own editor-in-chief. Everyone in the local community should know who it is, they should feel a connection.” 

With so much going on around the world, it can be difficult for many consumers to parse through all the news and reach what is most important. Media outlets need to respect the valuable time of their audiences and properly curate what they need to know, said Zuraidah Ibrahim, executive managing editor of the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong.  

“I think that trust doesn’t just mean the accuracy of your story, I think trust means the curation of your stories, the angling of your stories,” Ibrahim said. “Don’t go and give them everything you can possibly find. Really understand them and their needs, meet them where they are in need of relevant and important information.”

While the news business is being reshaped by shifting audience consumption habits, the industry should not be under the mistaken impression that only short-form content is viable in the digital age. Consumers still show strong demand for well-reported, long-form content, Ibrahim said.  

“If you remember a few years ago, a lot of the experts were saying nobody has time for long-form, that everybody has to get going on listicles,” Ibrahim said. “Certain traditional values of journalism remain relevant to our readers; it is not true that readers have no appetite for long-form. If you write it well, you find the right angle, they will stay with you.”

Meeting new challenges

Many legacy media brands are struggling with how to maintain their print output as digital formats have become the modern standard. A major challenge in some regions is that the infrastructure required to support print media is being phased out as consumer demand for the medium declines. 

“It is hard to get it in Europe at this point,” Riedmann explained. “We have one printing house in Vienna where every newspaper of Vienna is printed. If that printing house closes, there will be nowhere.” 

Amid this changing media landscape, the industry can still rely on its greatest asset: the strength of its talented journalists.  

“There’s no question that experienced journalists know what the stories that are going to both roil and entrance the world are,” Buzbee said. “That is an incredibly valuable thing that we give to readers.”

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