🔶 News Alchemists #32: "Change-Centric Journalism: reframing the value proposition of news for the AI age"

I had it all planned out: seven links selected in advance, a short intro I had already started thinking about, an easy week basically.

But then not one, not two, but three fantastic resources were published within 48 hours, and I had to re-do the whole thing from scratch.

Hello and welcome back to the News Alchemists newsletter – where I complain about having too much good stuff to share with my readers ✌️

(And right after two other equally amazing resources that I shared in the last two editions: The directory of liquid content and Journalism needs a rebrand. We are so spoiled.)

The three resources I'm sharing today are dense, so rather than adding four more links to get to seven, I'm stopping at three so that you can focus on them. The first of the three links is one of the most exciting and important works I've had the opportunity to share so far in this newsletter.

This last week I felt like I was working every day on 12 different projects at once – or, to be more precise, a mix of working on existing projects, coming up with ideas for new projects, and working on getting work (because, Hi 👋 I'm open to taking on new projects from September) – so I'm going to keep this intro short and go get some rest.

Enjoy the embarrassment of riches in this email, and have a wonderful week!

LOL, did you really think I'd let you go without reminding you to please fill in the reader survey so that I can learn more about your relationship with this newsletter and make it more useful for you? C'mon, so naive...

1. Change-Centric Journalism: reframing the value proposition of news for the AI age 👉 LINK

"My hope with this project is to build momentum for the idea that journalism, done with integrity, can distinguish itself not by volume or virality, but by the quality of change it facilitates." Read that again. Journalism that finds its purpose in the quality of change it facilitates.

This beautiful vision guided 🧞Jazmín Acuña – co-founder and editorial director of 🧩 El Surti – to create Change-Centric Journalism, a "practice rooted in the pursuit of impact that improves the lives of people through care-based reporting, purposeful engagement and collective experiences that enable a democratic public life."

That's an entirely different way to see journalism than what we are mostly used to – centred not on the content we produce but on the change we want to contribute to creating in the world. And the moment we put change at the centre of what we do, everything changes:

Go check changejournalism.com to find out more about the framework.

2. Gain clarity on your purpose: the template that helps teams make faster, better decisions 👉 LINK

In my work as a consultant, I've started seeing my role as helping people and organisations understand themselves, their audience and their purpose. That's because 1) the three things are intimately connected, and 2) because I noticed that when organisations struggle to grow or make decisions it's because there is a lack of clarity around one or more of the three dimensions – and a lack of alignment between them.

🧞Khalil A. Cassimally clearly noticed the same, as he just published an excellent guide to address exactly that problem: helping teams "systematically align on their target users, core problems, competitive advantages, and differentiated approach."

The guide includes a set of templates and instructions to run three 90-minute sessions that will help you find the alignment your team needs to move forward with confidence.

3. Elements of Audience Engagement 👉 LINK

"Audience centricity has become a core principle in many modern newsrooms. From strategic initiatives to operational roles, the focus on serving audiences is not a fringe—it’s the foundation. Yet despite the progress, a common standard for what “audience engagement” actually means remained fuzzy. [With this project], my aim is to surface the foundational elements of audience engagement and offer practical tools that enable teams to define, improve, and champion engagement in their day-to-day work."

🧞Antti Karvanen built a practical toolkit for audience‑focused professionals who are ready to build purposeful, engaged communities that sustain their mission. He defines four core elements of audience engagement as such:

1. Defining Audience: Clarify whom you serve and why they should care.
2. Purposeful Engagement: Define purposeful attention across the entire user journey and build meaningful relationships where it matters.
3. Measuring Success: Adopt a data-driven view of success, selecting metrics that map directly to business impact and user value.
4. Audience Development: Acquire skills and define clear roles, processes, and on- and off-platform tactics that turn strategy into repeatable action.

Explore audienceengagementforjournalism.com to learn more.