THE NEXT JOURNALISM

How newspeople can save their profession.

Rosenstiel, a press critic and journalism professor, presents a solid case that news organizations’ problems are bigger than they realize. Along with declining public trust and countless newsroom layoffs, the industry faces an “intellectual” crisis. Woefully behind the times, journalists must embrace “emotionally intelligent newsgathering” that “meets audiences where they are.” Seasoned reporters may blanch at his quasi-therapeutic terminology, but it’s backed by concrete ideas. Rosenstiel proposes 10 ways journalists can save their profession, urging them to put less emphasis on “watchdogging” scoops and more on work that “helps people.” He praises nonprofit LAist’s efforts to help its audience navigate bureaucracies, connect with one another, and improve their communities. Citing social science research, he wants journalists to “acknowledge alternative worldviews.” An article correcting misinformation about climate change might be more persuasive to conservative-leaning readers if it mentions commercial opportunities associated with addressing the problem. Journalists should embrace artificial intelligence, using it to identify falsehoods and build a so-called Civic Internet of useful data obtained from governments. Meanwhile, journalists can demonstrate “competence, benevolence, and accountability” by doing their work as transparently as possible. They should also more open to new storytelling methods and more intentional in how they listen to their audiences’ “questions and needs.” This is a thoughtful contribution to an important conversation. But if Rosenstiel is big on imperatives—journalists must “invent new products” and do “constant” fact-checking—he has little practical counsel for carrying them out with slashed newsgathering budgets. And if his optimism about AI’s “tremendous potential for journalism” is backed by encouraging evidence from newsrooms, he doesn’t seriously reckon with the broader threats AI poses to industry jobs. He allows that AI has “serious trust problems,” feebly advising journalists to “manage and mitigate them.”

A mostly productive roadmap for rejuvenating journalism in a fast-moving, fragmented world.