Predictions for Journalism 2021 » Collections » Nieman Journalism Lab » Pushing to the Future of Journalism

Predictions for Journalism 2021

Each year, we ask some of the smartest people in journalism and media what they think is coming in the next 12 months. At the end of a trying 2020, here’s what they had to say.

Updating through Dec. 23

See all predictions →

Candis Callison
Calling it a crisis isn’t enough (if it ever was)

AX Mina
2020 isn’t a black swan — it’s a yellow canary

Aaron Foley
Diversity gains haven’t shown up in local news

“What if every piece of journalism helped the public understand whether old or new power dynamics and values were at play?”

Jennifer Brandel
A sneak peak at power mapping, 2073’s top innovation

“We were told we weren’t ready, we didn’t have enough experience, we didn’t have the right experience, we weren’t a good culture fit. or we were too radical. And then 2020 happened.”

Julia B. Chan and Kim Bui
Millennials are ready to run things

“Twentieth-century America held tightly to the illusion that there’s no gap between objectivity and justice. For better or worse, those days are over, and only an act of deep historical amnesia can bring them back.”

C.W. Anderson
Journalism changed under Trump — will it keep changing under Biden?

“Political journalism needs to wean itself from right-wing agitators and call this period what it is: an erosion of democracy and attempts to radicalize large chunks of the electorate.”

J. Siguru Wahutu, Journalists still wrongly think the U.S. is different

“Truth is more than a collection of facts; it’s a mechanism for belonging.”

Zizi Papacharissi, The year we rebuild the infrastructure of truth

“Again and again, we found that the most damaging misinformation narratives started as local rumors, memes, and misleading photos — repackaged and reshared across the country.”

Shaydanay Urbani and Nancy Watzman, Local collaboration is key to slowing misinformation

Delia Cai
Subscriptions start working for the middle

Gabe Schneider
Another year of empty promises on diversity

Sonali Prasad
Making disaster journalism that cuts through the noise

Ariel Zirulnick
Local newsrooms question their paywalls

“Our prediction is a vision for an end to this cycle, beginning with envisioning the urgent redistribution of $1 billion of the Knight Foundation’s wealth to media justice initiatives.”

Alicia Bell and Simon Galperin, Media reparations now

“At its best, journalism informs. But at its brightest, journalism inspires. That’s thanks to arts and music. It improves our quality of life and strengthens our sense of place.”

Joni Deutsch, Local arts and music make journalism more joyous

Sumi Aggarwal
News literacy programs aren’t child’s play

Jean Friedman-Rudovsky and Cassie Haynes
A shift from conversation to action

All predictions in chronological order

Candis CallisonCalling it a crisis isn’t enough (if it ever was)“What, where, and when a crisis began becomes much harder to pinpoint if underlying conditions already form layers of crises.”

AX Mina2020 isn’t a black swan — it’s a yellow canary“Calling 2020 a black swan takes away from the fact that COVID-19 and the misinformation surrounding it were utterly predictable.”

Aaron FoleyDiversity gains haven’t shown up in local news“What general-market local newsrooms fail to understand is that readership is inextricably tied to representation.”

Jennifer BrandelA sneak peak at power mapping, 2073’s top innovation“What if every piece of journalism helped the public understand whether old or new power dynamics and values were at play?”

Julia B. Chan and Kim BuiMillennials are ready to run things“We were told we weren’t ready, we didn’t have enough experience, we didn’t have the right experience, we weren’t a good culture fit. or we were too radical. And then 2020 happened.”

C.W. AndersonJournalism changed under Trump — will it keep changing under Biden?“Twentieth-century America held tightly to the illusion that there’s no gap between objectivity and justice. For better or worse, those days are over, and only an act of deep historical amnesia can bring them back.”

J. Siguru WahutuJournalists still wrongly think the U.S. is different“Political journalism needs to wean itself from right-wing agitators and call this period what it is: an erosion of democracy and attempts to radicalize large chunks of the electorate.”

Zizi PapacharissiThe year we rebuild the infrastructure of truth“Truth is more than a collection of facts; it’s a mechanism for belonging.”

Shaydanay Urbani and Nancy WatzmanLocal collaboration is key to slowing misinformation“Again and again, we found that the most damaging misinformation narratives started as local rumors, memes, and misleading photos — repackaged and reshared across the country.”

Delia CaiSubscriptions start working for the middle“Six-figure Substack incomes and subscriber numbers sure sound great, but they’re not the only ends to the means.”

Gabe SchneiderAnother year of empty promises on diversity“If newsroom leaders and editors were unable to see the magnitude of their failures over the past few years, then even with all of their commitments of 2020, 2021 won’t be any different.”

Sonali PrasadMaking disaster journalism that cuts through the noise“Reveal the institutional organs that failed, the human mistakes behind the avoidable deaths. Talk to the ones who had no choice but to stay or leave. Write about the moral challenges faced during calamities.”

Ariel ZirulnickLocal newsrooms question their paywalls“What they lose in potential subscription dollars, they’ll make up in underwriting, donations, and sponsorships — community thanks for becoming a part of the solution.”

Alicia Bell and Simon GalperinMedia reparations now“Our prediction is a vision for an end to this cycle, beginning with envisioning the urgent redistribution of $1 billion of the Knight Foundation’s wealth to media justice initiatives.”

Joni DeutschLocal arts and music make journalism more joyous“At its best, journalism informs. But at its brightest, journalism inspires. That’s thanks to arts and music. It improves our quality of life and strengthens our sense of place.”

Sumi AggarwalNews literacy programs aren’t child’s play“Just think how different kids’ engagement with the news and society would be if we started including clear guides with our stories discussing things like: Why is this news and how did we decide that? Why did we choose to speak to these people?”

Jean Friedman-Rudovsky and Cassie HaynesA shift from conversation to action“We cannot truly consider ourselves stewards of public trust and information if we aren’t embodying equity at every level. In 2021, journalism will get its shit together.”

Anna NirmalaLocal news orgs grasp the urgency of community roots“‘Engagement’ will get the respect it deserves as the center of excellence within local media organizations, not an offshoot concept that is often disregarded and undervalued.”

Nikki UsherDon’t expect an antitrust dividend for the media“We need to admit news publishers are not sympathetic victims losing an unfair fight against anti-competitive practices — at least not now.”

Imaeyen IbangaJournalism gets unmasked“If the news industry is truly doing the work, there’s no way it will be bored, because change is an exercise in altering boundaries. That work is exhausting, not drab.”

Jessica ClarkNews becomes plural“The bones of our fractured Union are still there. In 2021, journalists either will need to learn to knit them back together — or will hasten both the country’s disarticulation and their own irrelevance.”

Celeste HeadleeThe rise of radical newsroom transparency“Going forward, executives must be prepared to justify hiring and promotion decisions not only to staff but to the broader public.”

Cory HaikBe essential“That new franchise you’re building, that podcast, the video series: Who is it for? What need is it serving? What will the audience do with it? Do they really want it, need it? Or are we just trying to keep their attention long enough for the ad to serve?”

Nico GendronAsk your readers to help build your products“My job, and the job of any community manager, is to facilitate the creation of content that solves a problem our readers have, not just reports on it.”

Sarah MarshallThe year audiences need extra cheer“Life might start to return to pre-Covid normality, but audience mindsets have changed for good.”

Kristen MullerEngaged journalism scales“Engaged journalism needs to be integral to how we report the news, not a side effort we roll out on occasion.”

David SkokA pandemic-prompted wave of consolidation“Will the money be invested in growth capital to kickstart a new generation of journalism entrepreneurs? Or will it be used to buy up struggling newsrooms that can be stripped for parts and left to ruin?”

Chicas PoderosasMore voices mean better information“Actual diversity is about including ‘others’ in the conversation, about them becoming a part of us.”

Juleyka LantiguaThe download, podcasting’s metric king, gets dethroned“Measuring podcast success and setting advertising rates on a faulty CPM formula built on an inflated unit of measure could lead to serious consequences — maybe even an analytics bubble.”

Charo HenríquezA new path to leadership“It’s time to reflect on the opportunities not afforded to people who have been moving journalism forward and realize that we didn’t build pipelines for present and future leaders who think about our industry and craft in a multi-disciplinary sense.”

Kawandeep VirdeeGoodbye, doomscroll“There’s a hunger for media formats that feel more considerate, more consentful, and designed with care. It’s absolutely crucial for our safety and our wellbeing.”

Renée KaplanFalling in love with your subscription“We compete with not only other similar news media but every kind of frictionless and dynamically adaptive content experience that users get from all the other content apps on their phones.”

Andrew DonohueThe rise of the democracy beat“These reporters won’t see their work in terms of politics or parties, but instead through the lens of honesty, fairness, and transparency.”

Heidi TworekA year of news mocktails“Organizations will also have to move beyond the boozy hit of reporting on Trump’s latest tweets.”

Garance Franke-RutaRebundling content, rebuilding connections“It’s one thing to pay $40 or $50 for a single newsletter from a writer you adore. It’s quite another thing to suddenly be faced with a newsroom’s worth of them, all charging more than most of your Hearst or Condé Nast annual subscriptions.”

Kevin D. GrantParachute journalism goes away for good“The reasons are as practical as they are ideological. Travel is dangerous and many places are simply inaccessible to outside journalists. Sources are understandably warier than ever about meeting strangers to talk about a story.”

Alyssa ZeislerHolistic medicine for journalism“A holistic approach means bringing different voices into newsrooms. It means taking on a more innovative approach to product development. It means thinking about how the operations and goals of different departments work together.”

Errin HainesLet’s normalize women’s leadership“If representation matters, so do narratives. Political journalism can shape those narratives — and, in turn, voters’ imaginations about who is electable and who should govern — by reporting on women as politicians.”

Pablo BoczkowskiAudiences have revolted. Will newsrooms adapt?“To flourish in the third decade of the 21st century, journalism has to stop conceiving of audiences in its own image.”

Raney Aronson-RathTo get past information divides, we need to understand them first“Only by becoming aware of competing narratives, and understanding why and where they take root, can we begin to do the sort of reporting that holds the powerful accountable while also building shared truths.”

M. Scott HavensTraditional pay TV will embrace the disruption“The ‘new TV’ is here, and in 2021, I expect a seismic shift of advertising dollars to it.”

John GarrettA surprisingly good year“The pandemic shined a light on the need for local journalism and local news outlets will benefit from new relationships residents are building with their local news providers.”

Tim CarmodySpotify will make big waves in video“Spotify is going to be at the center of a lot of discussions around the future of journalism going forward, even if the company itself isn’t always mentioned by name.”

Megan McCarthyReaders embrace a low-information diet“It’s stressful to articulate an issue and seek out an answer, and I suspect most Americans will want to cut out stress from their lives.”

Masuma AhujaWe’ll remember how interconnected our world is“After a year of constantly relearning our vulnerabilities, as individuals and communities, I hope we all carry more empathy and more understanding of our shared humanity with us into 2021.”

Chase DavisThe year we look beyond The Story“There’s something about the mission-driven nature of what we do that makes it easy — maybe too easy — to separate what we do into ‘the journalism’ vs. ‘everything else,’ with the latter often wrongly seen as a cost to the former.”

Gonzalo del PeonCollaborations expand from newsrooms to the business side“Business-side and operations collaborations have the potential to be revolutionary for how we think about the sustainability of local news organizations, and for how we think about what a local news ecosystem can be.”

Marie ShanahanJournalism schools stop perpetuating the status quo“Too many young journalists who have managed to find a way into the news business are getting chewed up and spit out too soon, feeling isolated and burned out. The rate of survival in journalism is too low.”

Ray SotoThe news gets spatial“This isn’t a 2025-and-beyond journalism prediction — it’s here now.”

Mike AnannyToward better tech journalism“Could technology journalists be in service of something better than more speech, improved content moderation, unbiased algorithms, and consensual surveillance capitalism?”

Cindy RoyalJ-school grads maintain their optimism and adaptability“You can always learn more or new ways to code, but not everyone can effectively ask ‘why’ a project is being done a certain way.”

Alfred Hermida and Oscar WestlundThe virus ups data journalism’s game“COVID-19 has surfaced the challenges of data journalism, above all its dependence on institutional data and a lack of time, resources, expertise, or ability to scrutinize the underlying assumptions in a data set.”

Stefanie Murray and Anthony AdvinculaExpect to see more translations and non-English content“Many immigrants are at the bottom of the news chain — both due to language barriers and the lack of nuanced and informed reporting from their perspectives.”

Kate MyersMy son will join every Zoom call in our industry“The membership team has heard all about the latest Minecraft update and has weighed in on whether one can — or should — make a nether portal that can stretch all the way to the sky.”

José ZamoraWalking the talk on diversity“Little has truly been done to genuinely expose and dismantle the biases within our newsrooms and better inform how we produce journalism.”

Tonya MosleyTrue equity means ownership“Your intellectual property is like your child. Think hard about who gets to hold her, keep her, make money off of her.”

Nonny de la PenaNews reaches the third dimension“Will we let our audiences step over dead bodies the way I step over my son’s dirty socks?”

Logan JaffeHistory as a reporting tool“In 2021, journalists must use history to report stories that proactively invite reckoning and, ultimately, accountability.”

Ariane BernardGoing solo is still only a path for the few“How inclusive can we expect media to be if the only people who can make the jump to solo are the ones who’ve built a large following while working a corporate job with a big media company?”

Moreno Cruz OsórioIn Brazil, a push for pluralism“Awareness of the profound relationship between the health of the people and the right to information materialized the need to advocate for democracy.”

Cory BergmanThe year after a thousand earthquakes“Sometimes an earthquake can shake us up when we least expect it. Just remember why you became a journalist in the first place.”

Colleen ShalbyThe definition of good journalism shifts“We no longer have the luxury to be sideline observers to history.”

John DavidowReflect and repent“We should repent for words spoken and unspoken. I have heard colleagues of color described as ‘not sophisticated enough,’ ‘not ready,’ or ‘too angry,’ and not responded. I’m sure I’m not alone.”

Sara M. WatsonReturn of the RSS reader“It turns out we don’t want to live in our inboxes all day.”

María Sánchez DíezTraffic will plummet — and it’ll be ok“The ‘Trump bump’ is already waning. The question now is: How many of those readers will remain loyal and enter their credit card info again once the sense of alarm that moved them in the first place dissipates?”

Jacqué PalmerThe rise of the plain-text email newsletter“Modern designs are impersonal and they signal transactional relationships — especially after the holiday onslaught of retail emails we’ll all be drowning in soon enough.”

Victor PickardThe commercial era for local journalism is over“The journalism crisis can’t be solved by individuals alone, whether average subscribers or rich benefactors. We’re facing a collective action problem that demands government intervention.”

Rasmus Kleis NielsenStop pretending publishers are a united front“Does anyone seriously believe that fewer lies on Facebook, a monthly check from Google, or bigger quarterly profits for newspaper companies will in themselves resolve any of these issues?”

Edward RousselTech companies get aggressive in local“The platforms will target audio, local news, and frictionless subscriptions as areas ripe for innovation.”

Brian MoritzThe year sports journalism changes for good“When you talk to sports reporters today, there’s a real fear that their limited access to players and coaches in 2020 will continue in the post-COVID world.”

Jeremy GilbertHuman-centered journalism“It’s time for news on the internet to stop looking and reading like a digital newspaper from the 1990s.”

Michael W. WagnerFractured democracy, fractured journalism“Now that the election is over, democracy is no longer on the ballot — but it is still at stake.”

Ernie SmithEntrepreneurship on rails“Maybe my efforts were imperfect in the end, but I ultimately learned a lot about publishing in the process, lessons I was able to take elsewhere.”

Andrew RamsammyStop being polite and start getting real“Perhaps the gulf between journalism and audiences isn’t about technology or paywalls — it’s that the person delivering the news doesn’t reflect what I’m feeling.”

Tamar CharneyPublic radio has a midlife crisis“Public radio needs to take stock of which parts of its identity it wants to hold onto and which ways of operating need to be left behind.”

Meredith D. ClarkThe year journalism starts paying reparations“Reparative journalism is explicit in its commitment to doing the work of racial justice, and by extension — without apology — social justice.”

Talmon Joseph SmithThe media rejects deficit hawkery“The good news is that mainstream journalism has been made more empathetic, and less tolerant of hypocrisy, by the Trump era.”

Pia FreyBuilding growth through tastemakers and their communities“The clearer the editorial profile of a particular niche, the higher the potential to build a loyal and paying audience around it.”

Parker MolloyThe press will risk elevating a Shadow President Trump“Mainstream news outlets will find themselves in a position to justify treating Trump as a leader in temporary exile as opposed to a powerless retiree.”

Doris TruongIndigenous issues get long-overdue mainstream coverage“We must intentionally elevate the voices that have not always been the loudest.”

Sue CrossA global consensus around the kind of news we need to save“Things are moving, and consumers are part of it, too. They are finding real news, sticking with it, and putting their dollars behind it.”

Nicholas JacksonBlogging is back, but better“The primary difference is that these blogs, these magazines, these whatevers, will be built and guided by the individual creators for their audience, not by the executives they once reported to.”

Joshua P. DarrLegislatures will tackle the local news crisis“The crisis in local news is making it harder for the government to help Americans when they need it the most, and legislatures are beginning to take notice.”

Tshepo TshabalalaGo niche“Niche platforms become valuable as they provide deeper insights on focus areas that larger but broader news organizations are more likely to miss.”

Don DayBusiness first, journalism second“While journalists can be good businesspeople, sustainability will only come through a mix of skillsets at the owner and founder level.”

Ashton LattimoreRemote work helps level the playing field in an insular industry“Building national news teams with roots in every corner of the country won’t just produce better journalism — it’ll help diversify and democratize the industry.”

Jonas KaiserToward a wehrhafte journalism“I hope that the past five years have taught journalists that their role is to contribute to democracy’s fortification and to defend it when necessary.”

Loretta ChaoOpen up the profession“Making journalism more equitable will require a more inclusive definition of what it means to be a journalist. We’ll need to stop being precious about what we do and how we do it.”

Steve HennHas independent podcasting peaked?“The truth is that the old business model embraced by independent podcasters isn’t sustainable — especially if you’re trying to do ambitious rigorous journalism.”

Eric NuzumPodcasting dodged a bullet in 2020, but 2021 will be harder“I struggle to find a single example of a podcast company that’s been acquired in the past few years that has thrived under its new ownership.”

A.J. BauerThe year of MAGAcal thinking“A narrative wedge is forming between reality-based conservative news outlets and the borderline fan fiction that passes for news on the Trumpist sites.”

Janet Haven and Sam HindsIs this an AI newsroom?“We may see a kind of simple report card or badging system on news articles indicating the degree or role that AI and humans played in creation.”

Sarah StonbelyVideoconferencing brings more geographic diversity“With the distance allowed by ubiquitous videoconferencing, people in more remote locations or with less access to power are now just as accessible as the think tank two subway stops away.”

Christoph MergersonBlack Americans will demand more from journalism“Accountability is right around the corner for news organizations that are out of touch. They’re out of time.”

Brandy ZadroznyMisinformation fatigue sets in“Misinformation isn’t going away, but it seems inevitable that people will stop caring.”

Ben CollinsWe need to learn how to talk to (and about) accidental conspiracists“We’re going to have to learn to create a vocabulary to talk about how their friends fell down the wrong YouTube hole and came out speaking another language.”

Astead W. HerndonThe Trump-sized window of the media caring about race closes again“I’ve sat in enough panels, strategy sessions, and conference calls to remember how each moment follows a similar cadence: a period of concern and reflection that eventually gives way to the status quo.”

Beena RaghavendranJournalism gets fused with art“Empathy — putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, a natural product of journalism — is now limited by our screens.”

Zainab KhanFrom understanding to feeling“After a year in quarantine, audiences will shift from ‘help me understand what’s happening’ to ‘help me find an outlet.'”

Jesse HolcombGenre erosion in nonprofit journalism“The lines between what we think of as public media and nonprofit journalism are beginning to blur, organizational culture and history notwithstanding.”

Linda Solomon WoodCanada steps up for journalism“Canada has shown leadership in securing a future for journalism — but there is more that can be done.”

Rodney GibbsZooming beyond talking heads“Publishers, particularly ones focused on niche audiences, will devise clever ways to engage their audiences with online events.”

Sam FordWe’ll find better ways to archive our work“I’m more interested in ever in endeavors to make reporting with ongoing value more accessible.”

Marcus MabryNews orgs adapt to a post-Trump world (with Trump still in it)“As fewer users read, watch, and listen to us out of anxious necessity, we will need to make our journalism that much more essential to their lives.”

Mariano BlejmanIt’s time to challenge autocompleted journalism“Autocomplete is on its way toward standardizing our knowledge production and minimizing the effort required to think.”

Francesca TripodiDon’t expect breaking up Google and Facebook to solve our information woes“More options are great in theory, but new platforms could also provide a haven for misinformation and hate speech and further prevent us from engaging with opinions that challenge our existing beliefs.”

Francesco ZaffaranoThe year we ask the audience what it needs“If the lesson to be learnt from the resurgence of journalism during the pandemic is that people do need journalism only on the condition that journalism proves relevant to their everyday lives, then the best way to meet this demand is to ask people what kind of information they need.”

John SaroffCovid sparks the growth of independent local news sites“The next generation of both journalists and news consumers will scatter to small cities and more rural areas and away from America’s big media hubs. Waiting there for them will be modern local news operations.”

Patrick ButlerCovid-19 reporting has prepared us for cross-border collaboration“In 2021, we have a chance to learn from a crisis we were largely unprepared to cover.”

Burt HermanJournalists build post-Facebook digital communities“Let’s not have this be yet another time where we look back in 20 years and realize we threw away our shot.”

Matt SkibinskiMisinformation won’t stop unless we stop it“Misinformation publishers are amazingly resilient and adaptable. If users tire of one conspiracy theory or false claim, these operations will simply pivot to a new, more interesting topic.”

Whitney PhillipsFacts are an insufficient response to falsehoods“When confronted by falsehood, we need to tell the truth, of course, but we need to focus on truths bigger than a fact check: truths about network dynamics, the history of polarization, and the formation of political identity.”

Samantha RaglandThe year of journalists taking initiative“2021 is the year for journalists from all sides of the newsroom to step into the cultural challenge that is a white-washed, male-dominated media industry and walk into a cultural change.”

Nisha ChittalThe year we stop pivoting“No one platform can solve all of our audience growth and revenue problems. We should have all learned our lesson from one of the many pivots of the last few years.”

Kerri HoffmanProtecting podcasting’s open ecosystem“With high-dollar acquisitions and big-splash content deals now regular news in the industry, the threat to podcasting’s open standard now looks far less theoretical.”

Natalie MeadeJournalism enters rehab“All of the misinformation disseminated by elected leaders and alt-right news organizations will need to be purged from our consciousness.”

Annie RuddNewsrooms grow less comfortable with the “view from above”“2020 has prompted a more profound acknowledgment of the fact that people who make news images — much like people who write news stories, and people who run newsrooms — are situated and partial.”

Taylor LorenzJournalists will learn influencing isn’t easy“Successful independent journalists will realize how difficult it can be to strike the right balance between cultivating enough of an audience to effectively monetize and becoming beholden to their whims.”

Bo Hee KimNewsrooms create an intentional and collaborative culture“Leaders will need to believe that newsroom culture has a bigger impact on the journalism than they understood in previous years — that a strong team dynamic is as important as their sharp and shiny stars.”

Tauhid Chappell and Mike RispoliDefund the crime beat“Let’s be honest: Crime coverage is terrible. It’s racist, classist, fear-based clickbait masking as journalism.”

Jer ThorpFewer pixels, more cardboard“These boxes are important. They slice neatly through the myth that data telling must be bound to programming. Do you have some boxes? Some paint? You can visualize data.”

Amara AguilarJournalism schools emphasize listening“It’s not just about what reporters need for a story, or what journalists think they need from our communities — it’s about what communities need and deserve from journalists.”

Mike Caulfield2021’s misinformation will look a lot like 2020’s (and 2019’s, and…)“In the mind of the public, disinformation is a series of endlessly creative and unpredictable attacks by unknown actors. In reality, much of what flies around is pretty predictable.”

Basile SimonGraphics, unite“Traditional narratives assume that publishing online and in print require different workflows, file formats, and so on. But do they?”

Mandy JenkinsYou build trust by helping your readers“Service journalism is a way to build bridges with even our fiercest critics by giving them the information they need to navigate daily life.”

Laura E. DavisThe focus turns to newsroom leaders for lasting change“Reward journalism that provides real and unique value to your audience, instead of journalism that chases competitors or feeds your ego but does little for your community.”

Matt DeRienzoCitizen truth brigades steer us back toward reality“The people who run and rely upon basic community institutions will increasingly recognize how much they rely upon a common understanding of objective truth.”

Robert HernandezData and shame“Raise awareness of our shortcomings via data. And shame leadership if they don’t do something about it.”

Catalina AlbeanuPublish less, listen more“It’s time to value listening as an act of journalism, above getting the story. Or else you might find that fewer people are willing to listen to you.”

Nabiha SyedNewsrooms quit their toxic relationships“In 2021, more newsrooms will make privacy promises to their readers in a bid to avoid regulation and engender reader trust.”

Anthony NadlerJournalism struggles to find a new model of legitimacy“There’s no going back to a model of journalism that leans into bothsidesism to secure loyalties across the partisan spectrum.”

Jennifer ChoiWhat have we done for you lately?“How does your news organization help audiences cut through the noise to get the information they need to civically empower themselves?”

Rick BerkeVirtual events are here to stay“Seems like Anthony Fauci was a headline speaker at just about every major (and even) minor event in 2020. That never would have happened if the events were in person.”

Tanya CordreyDeclining trust forces publishers to claim (or disclaim) values“Just as almost all sizeable publishers today have audience teams, almost all will have trust teams and trust dashboards within five years.”

Julia AngwinShow your (computational) work“As computational techniques become more widespread, and newsrooms use fancier statistics to analyze data, there is a new genre of journalism emerging: the journalistic white paper.”

jim friedlich

Jim FriedlichA newspaper renaissance reached by stopping the presses“Weaning our remaining great American newspapers from paper is a multi-year process, part art and part science.”

John KetchumMore journalists of color become newsroom founders“They’ll be emboldened to start from scratch and build the kind of media ecosystem they want to see.”

Richard TofelLess on politics, more on how government works (or doesn’t)“Readers would be better served by less on the politics of how the government is being run and more on its actual running.”

Hadjar BenmiloudGet representative, or die trying“Newsrooms around the world have spent years reproducing their own bubbles in monochrome.”

Rachel GlickhouseJournalists will be kinder to each other — and to themselves“What we’re experiencing isn’t sustainable, and we have an opportunity to take what we’ve learned and push for permanent, constructive changes.”

Bill AdairThe future of fact-checking is all about structured data“Liars say the same things over and over, which makes the fact-check we wrote last week or last month valuable for an extended period.”

Ryan KellettThe bundle gets bundled“If American Express can offer their users a one-year subscription to the Calm app, why not a one-year subscription to The Wall Street Journal, New York magazine, or your local McClatchy paper?”

Jody BrannonPeople won’t renew“They’ll start deleting newsletters unread as fast as spam, until they are moved to cancel.”

Cherian GeorgeEnter the lamb warriors“Liberal media can try to point out China’s own poor record on racial equality and religious freedom, but this can be dismissed as whataboutism.”

Marissa EvansPutting community trauma into context“Trauma is everywhere, even if the communities we serve don’t always use the t-word to describe their experiences.”

Mark S. LuckieNewsrooms and streaming services get cozy“Grab a blanket, settle in on the couch, and get ready for a night of binge-watching fantastic journalism.”

Mark StenbergThe rise of the journalist-influencer“Though we like to consider ourselves distinct by dent of our craft’s supposedly elevated calling, journalists are really just creators by a different name.”

Rachel SchallomThe rise of nonprofit journalism continues“As anyone who has attempted to be a changemaker in a storied workplace knows, it’s easier to build what you want from the ground up than attempt to change the processes, priorities, and personnel in an existing structure.”

Ben WerdmullerThe web blooms again“In place of the monolithic super-platforms that were the hallmark of using the internet over the last decade, we’ll see smaller, independent publications and websites that address the needs of their communities more closely.”

Joanne McNeilNewsrooms push back against Ivy League cronyism“Needless deaths of hardware store cashiers and bus drivers were framed in stories as the sacrifice of ‘heroes’ rather than an outrage and injustice. Or workers were written out of news stories entirely.”

Ståle GrutNetwork analysis enters the journalism toolbox“Social media companies have never been much help when it comes to helping their users understand how content flows on their platforms. That makes it simultaneously more difficult and more important for journalists to cover it.”

Gordon CrovitzCommon law will finally apply to the Internet“Silicon Valley platforms might not like being compared to ships causing oil spills, but it’s time for the digital platforms to likewise be held accountable for the harm they cause through their information pollution.”

David ChavernLocal video finally gets momentum“Consumers won’t want to go to three different places for local news in video, text, and audio forms.”

Benjamin ToffBeltway reporting gets normal again, for better and for worse“No, democracy didn’t die in darkness, but has sunlight really saved it?”

Danielle C. BeltonA decimated media rededicates itself to truth“The notion that one can be completely without bias in their reporting is a nice idea until you realize what’s ‘objective’ is actually determined by what doesn’t rock a white, male, upper-class sensibility and worldview.”

Rishad PatelFrom direct-to-consumer to direct-to-believers“Your competition isn’t limited to other organizations that also do news. Your competition is what your true believer spends her time doing instead of reading your Very Important Article.”

Hossein DerakhshanMass personalization of truth“When we live by personalized truths, our shared trust in social institutions such as science, education, or law erodes.”