🔶 #10: "What audiences really want: For journalists to connect with them as people."

Welcome to another edition of the News Alchemists newsletter!

My name is Mattia, and this is the very orange email I send you once a week to provide you with a little hope about journalism, and about the potential to redefine its mission and its role in our lives. 🧡

But how exactly can we find that hope? I believe the ingredients include information, inspiration, examples, and resources:

💿 Information: That journalism needs to change is not an opinion, but a reality clearly established by years of declining trust and engagement. Research is telling us what we need to know – or, quoting a friend: "We have the evidence!" It's time to act on that evidence with more focus and more urgency.

💡 Inspiration: There are many people, inside and outside the journalism industry, who generously share their reflections, learnings, and ideas. I highlight many of them with a genie (🧞) in these emails. Let's learn with them.

📚 Examples: At a time when most journalism organisations are struggling to stay viable, some others are thriving. They understood the need to change, to have a clear mission and a relatable brand, and they consistently provide real value to their communities. They are showing us that another type of journalism is possible, and profitable. I highlight many of them with a 🧩 because their success gives us a piece of the puzzle.

🧭 Resources: Tools, frameworks, guides, support groups that aim to make it easier for others to learn from all of the above and implement such lessons in our own work.

Like every categorisation, this is not perfect. Maybe I missed one more category. Maybe "inspiration" and "information" are not the right words. What do you think? What gives you hope? Reply to this email to let me know.

Every link I share in these emails wants to give you at least one of the four ingredients. Let's see if today presents a good mix, shall we?