How newsrooms can adapt to evolving audience demands

Marcy Lefkovitz, Dalet SVP product innovation, details the findings of the companys report into the future of newsrooms, including leveraging AI, optimising multi-platform and multi-format production, and adopting story-centric news models

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Published: January 1, 2025

Marcy Lefkovitz, Dalet SVP product innovation, details the findings of the company's report into the future of newsrooms, including leveraging AI, optimising multi-platform and multi-format production, and adopting story-centric news models

target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin> Marcy Lefkovitz, Dalet SVP product innovation, details the findings of the company's report into the future of newsrooms, including leveraging AI, optimising multi-platform and multi-format production, and adopting story-centric news models

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Why did Dalet decide to commission the research into the future of newsroom workflows? We wanted to understand the current state of news production - what are the greatest challenges, and how news organisations are redesigning their operations and technology to survive and thrive in this rapidly changing media landscape. Our collaboration with Caretta Research provides insights and strategies for newsrooms to adapt to evolving audience demands, new digital platforms, and the impact AI and social media, all while dealing with tighter budgets and stretched resources.

Marcy Lefkovitz, Dalet SVP product innovation Talk us through some of the key findings. News organisations are facing significant pressure to reduce costs and streamline operations. Yet, despite all the gloomy forecasts, people who work in news are optimistic about the industry's future - 68 per cent of news people reported feeling good or very good about the future of their news operation. The need to adapt and innovate due to changing audience demands and the rise of multi-platform production is clear. The Covid pandemic and new technologies, including AI, have accelerated newsrooms' ability to do more with less. For example, the report highlights that most respondents are enthusiastic about multi-skilling. And while traditional TV newscasts are still core to their brand, many are exploring concepts like story-centric news production, to help increase collaboration across the divisions and be more effective in the allocation of resources.

What was the biggest surprise from the results? The overwhelming enthusiasm for AI in the newsroom. Most respondents see AI as a benefit, helping to streamline workflows and enhance content production. This positive outlook on AI was unexpected, given the common concerns about job displacement and the ethical complexities of integrating AI in journalism. Newsrooms are quickly learning where AI can do some work faster and well and where AI can provide valuable human assistance at a time when people, stretched thin, need all the help they can get. It turns out that people are learning to control and trust certain AI tools enough to allow them to reach a little deeper into the craft part of the job. I thought that part would take longer.

In your opinion, what is the biggest challenge facing journalists at the moment - and is that reflected in the responses to the survey? The biggest challenge is producing more content for digital and social media platforms while facing budget cuts and hiring challenges. This is reflected in the survey responses, as many newsrooms are looking for ways to optimise their workflows and technology. The report notes that workflows, operating models, funding approaches, and newsroom systems are changing in response, but often not very rapidly. In fact, a surprising percentage of news organisations still don't have dedicated teams devoted to digital content creation and distribution.

Everyone is talking about AI at the moment, and the research shows that the majority of respondents see it as a benefit in the newsroom. Were you surprised by that? As noted earlier, I was a bit surprised at the extent to which newsrooms have embraced AI at this relatively early stage of its implementation. But I wasn't entirely surprised. Newsrooms are always on the lookout for ways to optimise the use of their most precious resource - their people. AI can automate repetitive tasks, analyse large datasets, and provide valuable insights, allowing journalists to focus on more creative work. However, it's important to use AI ethically and responsibly. The report highlights that there is widespread enthusiasm for adopting AI-enabled tools that can allow newsrooms to work more efficiently, but it also shows that AI adoption is lower than other emerging newsroom technologies so far. This is likely a combination of some still taking a cautious approach, others not having the resources to learn how to integrate AI into existing workflows, and prohibitive costs which are a barrier to entry for many. We are at the beginning of the process.

What do you think is the biggest takeaway from the research? Newsrooms need to embrace transformation and adopt new technologies and modern toolsets to remain competitive. Leveraging AI, optimising multi-platform and multi-format production, and adopting story-centric news models are key to meeting evolving audience demands. The report serves as a roadmap for newsroom leaders and decision-makers navigating a complex media environment.

We invite all news and media professionals to review the findings in the report: https://hubs.li/Q030gzDq0

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