🔶 #39: "Closing the gap with readers: an end to business as usual in journalism"

Hello and welcome back to the News Alchemists newsletter!

And a special welcome to new subscribers who joined over the last two weeks from Mediahuis, dpa, the National Trust for Local News, the Earth Journalism Network, Norran, EenVandaag, Fundo Brasil de Direitos Humanos, Soiciety, Marquette University, the University of Minnesota, and all of you brave souls working for yourselves. I hope you will like it around here 🤗

Last week, we talked about skepticism and resistance. The resistance that many of us experience when promoting the idea that journalism should aim to be more useful and create more value for people – rather than limiting itself to 'informing the public'. (The use of 'people' vs 'public' is not accidental.)

I asked: What does that resistance look like? What are the most common arguments that fuel it?

Your responses are starting to paint a clear picture. Here are some examples of resistance you told me you encountered: