Business as usual has been disrupted leaving news organizations needing to take a critical look at their business model and editorial strategies. The rise of the internet and social media has completely changed the relationship between journalists and their audiences.
People are not only able to consume news in different ways but they can respond to journalists, tell them what they liked and didn’t like. Prior to the internet, it was unthinkable for news consumers to be an active audience. The internet, and social media especially, put journalists on equal footing with their audience and allowed there to be an open discussion.
The newsrooms and radio and television stations that are not engaging with this active audience are falling behind. In order to keep up with the shifting audience, companies are adopting a mobile-first mindset and attempting to remain competitive by reaching audiences in ways they never have before.
News organizations from the New York Times, to Mother Jones, MSNBC, and more, are taking to social media to share information on a new platform and engage with their audiences in new ways.
Individual journalists are also encouraged, if not expected, to have their own social media presence where they are communicating directly with those that consume their journalism.
It is essential to keep the audience coming back for more by building trust, producing quality content, and using the most advanced and popular technology. With this digital-first mindset, journalists have to think about the user experience now more than ever.
As the news business model has changed, so has the relationship between big tech companies and journalists. More and more news consumers are using social media to find and share the news.
Collaborations with social media providers are being used to reach the newsroom’s shifting audiences and hopefully reach new readers. Funding from newspaper ad revenue has decreased significantly over the years and digital advertising is making strides but journalists and their companies are not the ones reaping those benefits.
For journalists, the relationship with the audience has changed as well. It is crucial for journalists to remain authentic in their production and distribution of news and to be able to adapt to the rapidly changing use of the internet and social media.
The real uncertainty is whether news organizations will be able to find a profit model that is sustainable in this digital age.