Ask anyone you know about the news and they’ll give you some variation of the same answer.
The news just ain’t what it used to be!
That’s certainly true — but in more and different ways than you might think.
“There’s been a drumbeat of news about the waning news business and people not interested in news, and that same drumbeat has gone on now for 10 or 15 years, and I personally think it’s tired. I also think it’s incomplete,” says Poynter president Neil Brown in the latest episode of “The Poynter Report Podcast.”
“At Poynter, where we are working with journalists from around the country, around the globe,” Brown continues, “we are seeing new startups. We are seeing creators do what I would call maybe journalistic adjacent work, where they’re providing news and content and stories. … I think it’s time that if we are true to our mission, which is to be storytellers, the story needs to be a lot more complete than it’s been.”
In the new episode, Brown and Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones, the host of the podcast, dig into the findings of “OnPoynt — Values Rising: Trends and traction in journalism and the news industry,” a new report from Poynter that ponders a counternarrative about the business of news.
“I think the narrative of the news business is dying — is wrong. It’s off. It’s transforming. It’s different,” Brown says. “It’s not what it was, but it’s new and different.”
In the podcast, Brown highlights examples like the Baltimore Banner, URL Media, and the Epicenter, which are filling gaps in local news coverage and reaching underserved communities. Brown also addresses news fatigue, the role of content creators, and the importance of embracing new storytelling formats.
Background reading:
- “OnPoynt — Values Rising: Trends and traction in journalism and the news industry, a report from The Poynter Institute”
- “The media landscape is changing, but audiences still want news” (Angela Fu, Poynter)
- “The future is not all bleak: Poynter president Neil Brown talks about a new report on the state of journalism” (Tom Jones, Poynter)
- “Building Audience Trust: OnPoynt Round Table Session No. 1” (YouTube)
- “Audience Behavior and Tendencies: OnPoynt Round Table Session No. 2” (YouTube)
- “Journalism Values and Ethics: OnPoynt Round Table Session No. 3” (YouTube)
Listen and subscribe
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Credits:
The Poynter Report Podcast is produced by the Department of Journalism and Digital Communication at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg
- Host: Tom Jones
- Executive Producers: Elliott Wiser and Ren LaForme
- Producers: Madilyn Siner, Noah Chase and Tom Jones
- Director: Christopher Campbell
- Special thank you: Neil Brown and Dr. Mark Walters
