🔶 #08: "Are you a journalist? You might be the product designer your users need."

Welcome back to the News Alchemists Newsletter 👋

What a joy to be back in your inbox – or to appear in it for the first time if you are one of more than a hundred people who signed up last week!

The feedback many of you shared – in public or with me directly – after the official launch of this newsletter was a real boost. We all need some hope in these tumultuous times: this newsletter wants to give hope to you but, let me tell you: you already gave hope to me with that feedback. Thank you.

Before we get to today's links, one quick note: many of you probably missed the many reads I shared on LinkedIn while I was testing this newsletter there. I'd tell you to find them all on the homepage but you probably don't have time to browse through 40+ links anyways, right? Not to worry: here are my 7 favourite links from the first 7 editions 📚

Time for the links. Enjoy!

1. Journalists as community builders, not just watchdogs 👉 LINK

🧞Pia Ranada is head of community at 🧩 Rappler in the Philippines. In this essay written in 2023 during her JSK Fellowship at Stanford, she argues that, as journalists, we must "do more in giving people agency over the problems we uncover. I think part of agency is strengthening bonds between people so they can effect change together."