• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Greentarget

Greentarget

  • Our Culture
    • How We Work
    • Vision & Values
    • Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging
    • Careers
      • Internships
  • Industries
    • Professional Services
    • Legal
    • Accounting
    • Commercial Real Estate
    • Financial Services
    • Management Consulting
  • Services
    • Earned Media Influence
    • Research & Market Intelligence
    • Content & Editorial
    • Digital & Analytics
    • Crisis Communications
    • Executive Positioning
  • Insights
  • Our Manifesto
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Awards
    • Contact Us
  • Connect
June 6, 2024

3 Reasons for Optimism About the Future of Journalism

Written by

Lisa Seidenberg

Share
  • https://greentarget.com/insights/blog/reasons-optimistic-future-of-journalism/

It’s been a difficult year for journalism. Over the last 12 months, we’ve watched as some of the biggest newsrooms of the digital age have shut down or teetered on the edge of failure. Layoffs are happening at a dizzying pace at marquee publications including The Washington Post, Time, Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times and The Wall Street Journal. More than 500 journalists were laid off in January alone, adding to an already record-breaking streak in 2023.

Yet journalists do not shy away from adversity. They cover global catastrophes, dropping into war zones and braving dangerous environments to bring us the news we need to make informed decisions. So while they’re probably less used to being the story, they know how to face a tough situation with grit, creativity and resilience. And as Greentarget’s own research reveals, the next generation of journalists is positive about the future of the fourth estate.

To learn more about what that future may look like, we recently spoke to Hanaa Tameez, a staff writer for the Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard University who covers innovation in news media.

Over the last four years, Tameez has followed and reported on new business models, audience engagement strategies, the financial stability of traditional media outlets, and anything that challenges the status quo—including artificial intelligence (AI). Perhaps surprisingly, Tameez is also “generally and genuinely optimistic about the state of the news industry.” Here are three positive takeaways from our conversation.

#1: AI doesn’t spell the death of journalism

In a year when five Pulitzer Prize finalists disclosed using AI in the process of researching, reporting, or telling their submissions, we were keen to get Tameez’s take on how AI may impact journalism in the future.

While she said that “AI can be a threat, especially if it’s in the wrong hands and used for generating mis/disinformation,” Tameez also pointed out that (as some journalists have already discovered), “it also has many capabilities that can advance journalism if used correctly.”

As many commentators and journalists have said, we can’t operate from a position of fear when it comes to AI. Tameez reminded us that, in fact, we’ve been using AI technologies like Google Translate, audio transcription services, Siri, and Alexa for many years—a fact underscored by our own research.

Generative AI platforms are the next iteration of these tools, and they can make our lives and our work easier. However, Tameez cautioned that when it comes to the use of AI, “if you can do it ethically and offer more transparency in journalism, this is always better.”

#2: Niche publications are on the rise

As the news industry continues to fragment and segment, Tameez believes we will see “an increase in publications that cover niche issues” as consumers look to subscribe to outlets that offer in-depth reporting on their interests, such as parenting magazines or sports sites.

Industry and trade publications that target business-to-business (B2B) readers may see a similar boost. Jacob Donnelly, founder of A Media Operator, a publication that focuses on building digital media companies, is “pretty confident about the financial health of the B2B media space right now,” he said on a recent American Society of Business Publication Editors webinar. According to Donnelly, “publishers are starting to realize that smaller, more engaged audiences are where their livelihoods will last.”

Not only are trade publications and niche outlets faring better under the ad revenue model—not entirely surprising, considering their target audiences—they’re also still securing reader subscriptions. The combination helps drive revenue on two fronts.

Semafor’s Max Tani also wrote about the pivot to niche as publications focus on building stronger bonds with their readers:

“You see that everywhere now. The collapse of mass brands like BuzzFeed and Vice, the rise of a generation of much more narrowly focused ones, including this one, and a scramble to rescue beloved outlets like Pitchfork by returning them to a smaller, dedicated audience.”

#3: College journalism is filling local reporting gaps

As local news outlets struggle to stay afloat, an unexpected group is helping to keep local journalism alive: students.

The Christian Science Monitor recently covered how universities are stepping in to fill the gap as local news deserts grow. For example, the college newspaper The Daily Iowan recently purchased two struggling weekly publications. While that move was a first, other universities are stepping up to fill America’s news void in different ways, with initiatives ranging from student-staffed statehouse bureaus to newspapers run by journalism schools.

Tameez told us she has always been “a big proponent of student journalism” because that’s “where journalists learn to work.” She was the editor of her college paper, an experience that taught her how to be a journalist. While her team broke stories that made local news and national stories years later, “they weren’t given the platform in the same way student journalists have a platform now. Because of the challenges in local news, college journalism is filling the gaps.”

That’s not to say that journalism and journalists aren’t struggling—they are.

Despite Tameez’s overall optimism, she said that it’s been challenging to watch “real-life journalism getting lost” in layoffs. And while new news outlets are starting up, the rate at which other media outlets are crumbling is accelerating much faster. “It will take time to build a sustainable organization that can engage people in ways they deserve,” she said.

As news organizations adapt to these new challenges and opportunities, Greentarget will carefully monitor and report on the resulting data and trends. The principles of journalism drive smarter conversations, and true authorities have a responsibility to participate skillfully in the ongoing discussion. Quite simply, we all need the services journalists provide.

From our standpoint, Greentarget will strive to continue being empathetic to reporters in an era of smaller staff and a 24-hour news cycle. We know journalists need authorities with perspectives that serve the rapidly evolving needs of their audiences. We will continue to deliver. 

Related Posts

  • Purpose Driven: Gen Z Journalists on AI, Social Media and the Future of Journalism 

    Journalists have long seen themselves as members of the fourth estate—watchdogs whose work informs the…

  • Authority Figures Episode 5: Good Old-Fashioned Journalism Meets Good Old-Fashioned PR

    One year into the COVID-19 pandemic and months after the 2020 presidential election, fake news…

  • How PR and Journalism Can Work Together to Fight Fake News

    As a young reporter, I viewed PR professionals as something to work around. At least,…

Related Posts

  • Purpose Driven: Gen Z Journalists on AI, Social Media and the Future of Journalism 
  • Authority Figures Episode 5: Good Old-Fashioned Journalism Meets Good Old-Fashioned PR
  • How PR and Journalism Can Work Together to Fight Fake News
SVP, Director of Media Relations
Lisa Seidenberg

Lisa is an authority on all aspects of media relations, from pitching a complex subject to conducting media training for executives at leading law and professional services firms.

Footer

Connect with us

To reach us by phone, call 312-252-4100.

close
  • We take your privacy seriously. We do not sell or share your data. We use it to enhance your experience with our site and to analyze the performance of our marketing efforts. To learn more, please see our Privacy Notice. Would you like to receive digital marketing insights in your inbox? We'll send you a few emails each month about our newest content, upcoming events, and new services.
  • Our Culture
  • Industries
  • Services
  • Insights
  • Our Manifesto
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Notice
Close
Close