Predictions for Journalism 2018 » Collections » Nieman Journalism Lab » Pushing to the Future of Journalism

Predictions for Journalism 2018

Each year, we ask some of the smartest people in journalism and digital media what they think is coming in the next 12 months. Here’s what they had to say.

Updating through Dec. 20

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Pablo Boczkowski
The rise of skeptical reading

Umbreen Bhatti
The trust problem isn’t new

Yvonne Leow
The rise of video messaging

“Most media brands will start selling merchandise in 2018, if they’re not already.”

Jamie Mottram
From pageviews to t-shirts

“My prediction is not solely that media leadership will be feminized, but that news itself will take on a new, more feminine, tone.”

Jennifer Coogan
The future is female

“My real bet, though, is that the battle between the Times and the Post is being waged most when it comes to their rival international and national expansions. And the winner of that struggle is too close to call.”

Nik Usher
The year of The Washington Post

“Television, old or new, is the medium of our post-Enlightenment era when text and reason are substituted by images and emotions. To be brief and blunt, Trump is just the beginning.”

Hossein Derakhshan, Television has won

“If this year was about transparency of the journalistic process and how we do our job, next year it will be about transparency of values and why we do our job.”

Millie Tran and Stine Bauer Dahlberg, (Hint: It’s about your brand)

“The next time you are being told about yet another round of fundraising, whatever the increased on-paper valuation the company now claims, ask yourself before you hype that news: Why is putting additional money into a business that is clearly spending more than it is making, a sign of success? It’s called ‘burn’ rate for a reason.”

Raju Narisetti, Mirror, mirror on the wall

Lam Thuy Vo
Breaking free from the tyranny of the loudest

Amie Ferris-Rotman
More female reporters abroad (please)

P. Kim Bui
The reckoning is only beginning

Tanzina Vega
It’s time for media companies to #PassTheMic

“What concerns me more than the fact that memes and visuals spread misinformation is the idea that the media industry as a whole may be falling behind agents of disinformation when it comes to fluency with the norms and practice of internet culture. This leaves many journalists and audiences vulnerable to new forms of manipulation.”

AX Mina, Memes and visuals come to the fore

“In way too many stories, the idea that tens of millions of people could lose health insurance amounted to a throwaway line. Those are real people, people like my sister, who will literally die if she can’t afford her medicine.”

Mary Meehan, Real lives are at stake in rural areas

Jared Newman
Venture funding and digital news don’t mix

Marcela Donini and Thiago Herdy
Collaboration is the way forward for Brazilian journalism

All predictions in chronological order

Pablo BoczkowskiThe rise of skeptical reading“Unlike technology, culture changes slowly. But when it does, the consequences of these changes stay for a long time.”

Umbreen BhattiThe trust problem isn’t new“We’ve come a long way from the days of viewing our audiences as a monolith, with a singular set of concerns. Let’s not go back to that in 2018.”

Yvonne LeowThe rise of video messaging“What happens between now and virtual reality? It’s video messaging. Snapchat is already prepping us for this reality; the same with apps like Houseparty. They’re popularizing this idea that people are comfortable talking to each other via video.”

Jamie MottramFrom pageviews to t-shirts“Most media brands will start selling merchandise in 2018, if they’re not already.”

Jennifer CooganThe future is female“My prediction is not solely that media leadership will be feminized, but that news itself will take on a new, more feminine, tone.”

Nik UsherThe year of The Washington Post“My real bet, though, is that the battle between the Times and the Post is being waged most when it comes to their rival international and national expansions. And the winner of that struggle is too close to call.”

Hossein DerakhshanTelevision has won“Television, old or new, is the medium of our post-Enlightenment era when text and reason are substituted by images and emotions. To be brief and blunt, Trump is just the beginning.”

Millie Tran and Stine Bauer Dahlberg(Hint: It’s about your brand)“If this year was about transparency of the journalistic process and how we do our job, next year it will be about transparency of values and why we do our job.”

Raju NarisettiMirror, mirror on the wall“The next time you are being told about yet another round of fundraising, whatever the increased on-paper valuation the company now claims, ask yourself before you hype that news: Why is putting additional money into a business that is clearly spending more than it is making, a sign of success? It’s called ‘burn’ rate for a reason.”

Lam Thuy VoBreaking free from the tyranny of the loudest“What surfaces on the timelines of our social media accounts can make the world seem like a divided place where people only shout from the top of their lungs — whether it is to call out the wrongs of those they disagree with or to cheer on the actions of those with whom they identify.”

Amie Ferris-RotmanMore female reporters abroad (please)“Sexual harassment allegations sweeping across the industry are knocking out television and newspaper heavyweights across the globe. There’s been a lot of talk about the need to diversify the workplace, and bring in more female reporters. Going forward, will media organizations practice what they preach and employ more women in their foreign postings?”

P. Kim BuiThe reckoning is only beginning“The world has found power in anger and sexual misconduct is not the only act that the whisper network is starting to shout about. The racists will be next. Or maybe the homophobes.”

Tanzina VegaIt’s time for media companies to #PassTheMic“One of the biggest mistakes the media punditry made about the 2016 election was underestimating the power of racist rhetoric in the campaign. There was a disconnect between what journalists of color were seeing and what white reporters were seeing.”

AX MinaMemes and visuals come to the fore“What concerns me more than the fact that memes and visuals spread misinformation is the idea that the media industry as a whole may be falling behind agents of disinformation when it comes to fluency with the norms and practice of internet culture. This leaves many journalists and audiences vulnerable to new forms of manipulation.”

Mary MeehanReal lives are at stake in rural areas“In way too many stories, the idea that tens of millions of people could lose health insurance amounted to a throwaway line. Those are real people, people like my sister, who will literally die if she can’t afford her medicine.”

Jared NewmanVenture funding and digital news don’t mix“In 2017, we saw what happens when you affix the venture model atop a journalism business. Enter: the flash sale of Mashable and layoffs at Vocativ.”

Marcela Donini and Thiago HerdyCollaboration is the way forward for Brazilian journalism“Every post published by a newspaper in its social networks triggers comments that are examples of how Brazilian society is divided and, worse, intolerant. The polarization we saw in 2014 is increasing even more as we enter 2018 — not by chance, yet another year of general elections.”

Evie NagyPivot to mobile video frustration“I think that the short-term gains of the infamous “pivot to video” tactic — that it brings in more advertising dollars — will start to plummet as publishers and advertisers realize that this isn’t the content that consumers actually want.”

Michelle FerrierThe year of the great reckoning“The #metoo movement has come to journalism, but the #onlineabuse conversation will overtake that as journalists worldwide rebel against the 24/7 commodification of their lives.”

Mariano BlejmanNews games rule“At that moment, we understood the power of stories turned into interactive games. Telling news through games isn’t just a playful way of informing readers — it’s also a way to create added value for publishers.”

Monique JudgeLetting black women tell their own stories“In 2018, journalism will need to do a better job of seeking out the voices of black women. It will not be enough to give black women credit for the things that they do; it will be crucial to allow their stories to be told through their own voices.”

Betsy O'Donovan and Melody KramerSkepticism and narcissism“We all know the old journalism saw: ‘If your mother says she loves you, check it out.’ Our moms aren’t the problem. No, if 2016 and 2017 have taught us anything, it’s that our passion for journalism’s flattering mythology only hurts us.”

Jessica Parker GilbertDesign connects storytelling and strategy“By aligning strategies from revenue, video, editorial, and audience departments, news products can lessen the assault on their users’ senses. If we understand and attempt to calibrate internal competing goals, we fix the external experience.”

Errin HainesAt the ballot, it’s time to count black women“Covering politics in the coming year should mean covering black women — the majority of who we mean when we say “black voters.” It will require rethinking who we mean when we say ‘working mothers,’ ‘college-educated women,’ ‘millennials,’ and ‘values voters.'”

Mira LoweThe year of the local watchdog“What will be exciting to see in 2018 is how watchdog projects will be done. How will journalists tell and present their stories in novel ways? How will they engage the community around their findings? What would make their results most powerful, more accessible?”

Nancy WatzmanKnow thy TV“TV news content remains both opaque and ephemeral. TV news networks make their content available online generally, but viewers are at their mercy when searching for particular clips, sharing such information elsewhere, or providing structured datasets to help inform research.”

Ståle GrutReclaiming audience interaction from social networks“Even if our solutions were very simple, we could not have implemented them on social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. It asserts an unfakeable truth of civic responsibility: If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.”

Mandy Veleztexting is lit rn, fam“It’s the best of both worlds: Outlets can choose what type of content they want to share — video, text, image — and who they want to share it with. And users feel like they’re getting exactly the kind of info they want, in the place where they’re making most of their daily interactions.”

Damon KrukowskiReviving the alt-weekly soul“All that’s missing is the form. If it can’t be newsprint — which seems likely — maybe it has to be electronic. But whatever new form it takes, the need for regular, plentiful, and local arts journalism is clear.”

Alice AntheaumeAre you fluent in AI?“Each innovation changed the way we discover news, so they also changed the way we produce news. Artificial intelligence will follow that same trend.”

S. Mitra KalitaThe arc of news and audience“There’s been a reckoning in digital media, and hopefully, a recognition that the very thing we once decried as commodity journalism is also necessary journalism. Like milk and coffee and electricity, news is needed. Facts, verified, analyzed, contextualized, matter.”

Caitria O'NeillThe new court of public opinion“The new court of public opinion is a basketball court. Everyone gets their own ball (opinion). Everyone plays by the rules they consider fair.”

Daniel TrielliThe rich get richer, the poor scramble“The truth is, in 2018 and beyond, it’s only going to be more expensive to maintain a successful news website. That will lead to further inequality between big and small news organizations. The big will become bigger, and the ones that are smaller, well, they will have to scramble for audience.”

Lanre AkinolaMaking noise is not a strategy“We may lament this and chastise Facebook for its lack of a moral compass and civic responsibility — but it’s a reality we have to come to terms with.”

Kawandeep VirdeeZines had it right all along“Zines have an enormous variety. They’re experimental and diverse. This gives them a freshness and surprise. They’re anti-formalist. They’re relatable.”

Mary Walter-BrownShow a little vulnerability“What if in 2018, instead of trying to sell our audiences something they may not want, or threatening to shut off access to news they actually need, we simply admit we need their trust, understanding, and investment to provide great journalism?”

Renée KaplanThe year of quiet adjustments (shhh)“If 2017 reached peak innovation strategizing, pivoting, and iterating, then 2018 may very well be the year of pause, pare back, and hyper-focus.”

Tracie PowellThe muting of underserved voices“Activists, independent journalists, and other content creators not connected to corporate media conglomerates will be disadvantaged in the coming year if net neutrality is done away with altogether.”

Gordon CrovitzServing readers over advertisers“For the first time in decades, several large news publishers now generate more revenues from readers than from advertisers. It’s hard to overstate this business-model pivot.”

Alfred HermidaGoing beyond mobile-first“The opportunity lies in developing services and products that respond to the when, where, and how of news consumption.”

Borja EchevarríaTV goes digital, digital goes TV“Television reaches this critical stage with a lot of experience and lessons that have been learned by others, with heavy pockets, and two clear strengths: a very strong footprint on social networks, both from its brands and its individual talents, and a unique sensitivity for video storytelling that is higher than that of all its competitors.”

Jennifer Brandel and Mónica GuzmánThe editorial meeting of the future“In the future, we’ll instead organize the editorial meeting around this all-important question: “What can we help the public understand or do today?” We won’t start with our ideas — we’ll start with the information gaps the public demonstrates they have, and focus our efforts squarely on filling those gaps.”

Mi-Ai ParrishBlockchain and trust“Having decentralized ledgers and data storage allows visibility into creation and tracking, engagement and follow-through in news and ads.”

Mario GarcíaStorytelling finally adapts to mobile“The year about to end has only been a springboard to what is to come in the area of what I refer to as linear visual storytelling. In this type of storytelling, the narrative and the visuals flow in a linear way from top to bottom, exactly the way we communicate when we text or use WhatsApp on our phones.”

Niketa PatelLive journalism comes of age“Live video experimentation is going to continue in 2018 with an eye towards nuanced coverage that audiences can relate to. This coverage will be brand safe and highly monetizable.”

Feli SánchezThe year for guerrilla user research“Creating valuable products first requires news organizations to understand the people for whom they are designing. We need to commit to learning what their goals and motivations are, and what they are trying to accomplish when they sign up for a newsletter, download our app, or visit our site.”

Kim FoxAudience teams diversify their approach“The beauty of diversification is that it means not putting all of your eggs in one basket. It will encourage teams to broaden their skillsets, think creatively about various ways to get to the goal of sustainability and sharpen their discipline of setting goals and measuring them.”

Pia FreyAddress users as individuals“Every relationship starts with a conversation. One of the challenges we’ll be facing this coming year is how to communicate with users in an effective way in order to shift them through the stages of the loyalty funnel.”

Trushar BarotThe Jio-fication of India“In the year since it launched, Jio has acquired over 100 million users — many connecting to the mobile internet for the first time in their lives. To give some context, this effectively makes Jio that fastest adopted technology in human history.”

Steve GroveThe midterms are an opportunity“If this was the year in which it felt like the world was reeling from the challenges posed by the misinformation ecosystem, then 2018 will be the year it feels like we’re making progress.”

Joyce BarnathanIt will be harder to bury the news“These groups are tackling perilous subjects that know no borders, such as human trafficking, drug smuggling and money laundering. As the networks expand, the protection of information increases.”

Sarah MarshallLoyalty as the key performance indicator“Driving loyalty requires focusing on quality. Readers and reporters will be grateful.”

Sally LehrmanTrust comes first“Listen with the humility you would in any broken relationship you want to repair. And then be willing to make some changes.”

Andrew LosowskyThe year of resilience“It would be understandable for journalists to retreat altogether from engaging with people online, in an attempt at self protection. This would however help these antagonists achieve their goals of undermining trust in journalism and reporting.”

Corey JohnsonThe pro-fact resistance“Simultaneously, a wave of pro-journalism TV shows, books, and podcasts will explode on the scene helping more and more citizens understand and appreciate the role solid, factual news plays in their daily lives.”

Tanya CordreyFinally, the seeds of radical reinvention“There will be experimentation with a Netflix model, where organizations start with what users want and then understand the economics of each area for journalism. Netflix has demonstrated very clearly that following users’ needs does not need to result in a drop in quality.”

Burt HermanThings get real“We need to use the convening power of media to build network effects, where products get better the more people that use them.”

Rubina Madan FillionUnlocking the potential of AI“Collaboration will be critical to advance how newsrooms use AI. That could mean a consortium of newsrooms working together on ambitious machine learning projects.”

Doris TruongComputer vision vs. the Internet vigilantes“My own experience with this came in January, when trolls mistakenly decided that a woman attending the confirmation hearing for Rex Tillerson was me (and that the woman in the Senate chambers — who was not me — was doing something nefarious).”

Eric NuzumBeyond the narrative arc“Audio producers and networks aren’t prepared for the reality that the next generation of listeners will bear little resemblance to past audiences.”

José ZamoraRevenue-first journalism“No newsroom will launch a new initiative without having a clear plan for its financial sustainability.”

Emma Carew GrovumNewsroom culture becomes a priority“Why do I think this is really going to happen? Because I’ve seen panels popping up at journalism conferences about self-care and burnout. Because I’ve watched newsrooms across the country take small steps toward purging sexual harassers from their ranks.”

Dan NewmanA return to trust“Ultimately, I believe that we will convince the public that there’s nothing fake about the reporting coming from our organizations.”

Raney Aronson-RathTransparency is the antidote to fake news“The problem is massive, and these are just first steps. I hope that in the year to come, media outlets and tech platforms alike will take bigger ones.”

Susie BanikarimR.I.P. Pivot to Video (2017–2017)“It sounds better to say you’re ‘shifting resources into short-form video’ than that you desperately need to reduce your run rate.”

Lucas GravesFrom algorithms to institutions“Fact-checkers and computer scientists have worked together on a string of projects that aim to automate different part of the fact-checking process. One thing these efforts have in common is using automation as an enhancement, rather than a replacement, for journalistic work.”

Jim BradyWith the people, not just of the people“Go to most local news websites and you’ll be assaulted by disruptive ads, auto-play video, slideshows, and pagination. Who do you think those sites have been designed for — advertisers or readers?”

Matt BoggieThe intellectual equivalent of the Dead Sea“Soon the only discourse available will be about the most outrageous, instinct-punching statements, free of fact or reasoned debate, and the only people who will remain are those who seek nothing but self-validation and protection from criticism.”

Michelle GarciaNavigating journalistic transparency“The media industry has shifted in so many ways in the last two decades, but our readers have not been privy to the process in a way that helps them understand.”

Sue SchardtJump the niche“The social web overtakes, exhausts, exhilarates, spreads, connects, reinforces, divides. Hashtag power. Deep in the niche, it’s easy to ignore those without time or equipment or mind space or care to be in the game.”

Jassim AhmadThriving on change“The age of automatic deference in the workplace is over. Are individuals able to speak up and be heard? Do managers and colleagues alike reach deep into teams to collect ideas and exploit expertise? Has a culture of experimentation permeated everywhere?”

Julia B. ChanLooking for loyalty in all the right places“We’ve come to realize that one-time visitors — effectively the one-night stands of the media world — provide little more than the cheap thrills of banner-ad dollars. And chasing comScore uniques isn’t very fulfilling. But a meaningful connection with our audience? That’s #relationshipgoals.”

Craig NewmarkWorking together toward sustainable solutions“I think people want to be effective news consumers, and they’ll take on the responsibility to become highly media literate. People don’t like being conned or lied to, but to a great extent, that’s what’s happened over the last year, particularly by disreputable sources that were amplified on social media.”

Basile SimonWe need better career paths for news nerds“Developers and programmers seem to agonize in similar ways over being promoted away from what they do best — writing code and building things.”

Edward RousselEyes, ears, and brains“Early experiments may yield mixed results — it’s early days! But the media industry must not repeat the mistakes of the past, and allow itself to be a laggard with powerful new technologies.”

Brian LamSketchy ethics around product reviews“The saddest thing is how hard it is for everyday people to tell real and fake news apart these days; the situation is the same in the world of product reviews.”

Amy WebbListen to weak signals“If you don’t simultaneously pay attention to signals from news and also those coming from adjacent areas, you’re effectively looking at the world through a pinhole camera.”

Amy KingLet’s amplify visual voice“Across the industry, we employ product designers, but the need for editorial designers and art directors with minds for digital is equal. Organizations publish hundreds of stories a day. We need a lot of designers if we are going to make an impact.”

Dan ShanoffYou down with OTT? (Yeah, DTC)“2018 is the year that the biggest companies make their most meaningful moves into direct-to-consumer offerings. And as with most emerging media trends of the past 20 years, keep an eye on sports media for signals of how the rest of the industry will evolve.”

Elizabeth JensenShow your work“After several years of listening to journalism’s sages talk about how important it is that we more explicitly explain our processes, we’re finally going to get serious about doing just that.”

Hannah CassiusThe year of the echo-chamber escapists“Breaking down our filter bubbles and echo-chambers will not be solved by the actions of one, rather it needs to be tackled in a cross-functional effort by all parties involved: news organizations, social media platforms, and, most importantly, our readers.”

Debra Adams SimmonsAnd a woman shall lead them“If 2017 was the year of the purge, 2018 will be the year of renewal. Women news leaders will direct the restoration of news organizations as a public trust.”

Usha SahayWallets get opened“It seems my generation — often seen as embodying the worst of the information age — could well be at the forefront of making this much-needed correction in the media industry.”

Dannagal G. YoungStop covering politics as a game“Put simply, journalists’ reliance on this practice is allowing elites to further divide the country, avoid scrutiny, and distract citizens away from thoughtful policy debate on issues that carry real-life consequences.”

Sam FordThe year of investing in processes“In a quest to find a solution that will work for everyone, we too often invest in ideas that don’t work particularly well for anyone.”

Cristina WilsonThe year of the Instagram Story“Is making news content appealing in a Story format a challenge? Absolutely. But the window of opportunity is short, as Story-watching habits are being cemented and loyalties developed right now.”

Pete BrownPush alerts, personalized“Those that think they get too many alerts, or only want to hear about big breaking news events, can alter their settings to cover the bare minimum. The news hounds that want to know everything can opt it to as many as they desire.”

Matt ThompsonHere come the attention managers“They will ask to be the John Kelly to the Trumpian Oval Office of my mind.”

Helen HavlakKeywords, not publishers, power the world’s biggest feeds“Between Google, YouTube, Instagram, and Spotify, many of the world’s most influential feeds are now betting that their algorithms can do a better job of guessing what we want to see than we do ourselves.”

Sydette HarryListen to your corner and watch for the hook“Journalism is punch-drunk and staggering, convinced that still being on its feet is the same as putting up a fight.”

Rodney BensonBetter, less read, and less trusted“As paywalls get firmer, total audiences may decline. It’s quality news, but not for everyone. Given their current funding guidelines, foundations are part of the same problem, not the antidote.”

Miguel CastroThe arrival of the impact producer“As media consumers, we have access to more and better content that we can ever digest in many lifetimes; the problem journalism faces is how most effectively to inform, engage, target, and influence the right audiences with the right content.”

Rodney GibbsTech workers turn to journalism“They’re hungry for something mission-driven, something that even on its worst day serves a valuable public service. Journalism would be wise to welcome these outsiders into the fold.”

Claire WardleDisinformation gets worse“We’re in a terrifying moment where our global information streams are polluted with a dizzying array of mis- and disinformation. Politicians are targeting the professional media as a way of building direct connections with citizens through social media.”

Aron PilhoferWe can’t leave the business to the business side any more“Journalists are the reason people pay for news in the first place. We are the product. The problem is, we’re still producing a 19th-century product and selling to a 21st-century audience, with predictable results.”

Vanessa K. DeLucaWomen’s voices take center stage“More room will be made to discuss topics such as women’s political aspirations, leadership abilities, feminism and intersectionality, reproductive rights, fight for equal pay and battles against sexual harassment, with less bias and more nuance.”

Carrie BrownTransparency finally takes off“Having been called ‘enemies of the people’ by our highest-ranking public official, reporters are starting to recognize the importance of not just a knee-jerk defense of their work, but one that shows exactly how they work to uncover wrongdoing and check facts.”

Caitlin ThompsonPodcasting models mature and diversify“When podcasting reaches its potential size, looking more like peak radio penetration thanks to these many new and improved sources of discovery, we’ll start to see several revenue models arise to support the diversity of content now possible by untethering the form from RSS.”

Tim CarmodyWatch out for Spotify“These are the problems the entire industry is facing, with every service and every app: discovery, revenue sharing, bigger catalogs, more users, and better ads to serve them. That’s where the competition is going to happen.”

Corey FordThe empire strikes back“2018 will be the year in which everyone in technology is obliged to look in the mirror and ask themselves not just whether their intentions are good enough, but whether their actions are strong enough.”

Rachel Davis MerseyAI, with real smarts“You’ll sleep better, of course, if you don’t think too deeply about how much of your personal information now lives in the corporate domain, and appreciate that your consistency is part of your charm.”

Sam SandersShine the light on ourselves“Every new story of allegations taking down a media heavyweight reveals just how much our industry needs to improve.”

Paul FordGo global“A story performing well in one market could, theoretically, perform well in multiple markets, and reach many more people. If a content platform supports that, by enabling a translation-friendly workflow, you could have a relatively inexpensive way to increase your reach.”

Matt DeRienzoA recession, then a collapse“The last recession was brutal for newspapers and local news. The next one could be an extinction-level event, especially for small dailies owned by big corporate chains that have pillaged local newsrooms and local leadership.”

Charo HenríquezTraining is an investment, not an expense“Newsrooms can and should have people, or at least one person, dedicated to thinking about their journalism, their audience, the tools they have available, and how to best connect all three.”

Mariana Moura SantosThink local, act global“We will continue to work in collaboration across borders in Latin America, doing fact-checking over social networks — more and more on WhatsApp, which is one of the region’s main sources for information consumption and sharing.”

Rick BerkeValue is the watchword“Watch for intensified pitches stressing the value proposition: Exclusive ‘news that you can only get here.’ Trustworthy journalists. Reporters who have deep sourcing and deep knowledge of a crucial beat.”

David SkokFinding an information-life balance“Twelve months later, how are you feeling? Do you have a sense of dread every time you open your Twitter app? Does your heart sink whenever you get a breaking news alert on your phone?”

Almar LatourConquering calm“Following one of the most intense years of news coverage in recent memory, mixed with the ongoing tectonic shocks of technology, more news consumers will likely tire of the machine-gun salvo of incremental factoids wrapped in large-font breathlessness.”

Jarrod DickerHonesty in advertising“This is the era of media companies as facilitators. How can we build and leverage tools that move the entire advertising ecosystem forward? Media is now a proactive economy, not a reactive one.”

Andrew HaegThe year journalists become relationship builders“This year, a meaningful number of journalists will understand that their deeply encoded aloofness to the public is really the mutation that’s afflicting journalism — and they will begin to rethink and recode their work as both reporters and relationship-builders.”

Sara M. WatsonFeeds will open up to new user-determined filters“After this year’s fake news and Russian micro-targeting fiascos, Facebook and others will be forced to loosen their grip over our algorithmically determined timelines to other alternatives if they want to keep our attention.”

Ernst-Jan PfauthPublishing less to give readers more“When something happens, we write a story. When something else happens, we write a new story. News event? New story! New developments? New story! New responses? New story!”

Nushin RashidianPublishers seek ad dollar alternatives“Next year, I predict many more publishers will push to establish business models with which, as one executive at a national publication recently put it during my research for the Tow Center’s Platforms and Publishers project, ‘you can kind of give the finger to the platforms.'”

Emily GoligoskiLooking beyond news for inspiration“Some considerations are unique to our industry, but working in a deadline-driven business with tight margins is surprisingly universal.”

Andrew RamsammyThe year ownership mattered“We will follow in the powerful footsteps of those who came before us, busting down doors, slapping away the hands who wanted to touch us, our bodies, our hair, our minds, just to say that diversity mattered. It didn’t.”

Monika BauerleinThe firehose of falsehood“None of this is brand new; politicians have always sought to smear journalism they didn’t like. What’s new is that the attack is no longer about this or that story, but about journalism itself. It’s a challenge to the very notion of an independent accounting of facts.”

Julia BeizerA longer view on the pivot“Users are looking for journalism to fit their busy lives instead of finding ways to fit its former rigid form into their own. We should embrace creating content in diverse formats not because the platforms demand it, but instead because users do.”

Frédéric FillouxExternal forces“The only hope for a serious pushback against misinformation will come from progress in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. But it will take a while to come up with reliable models able to process at scale a firehose of news.”

Francesco MarconiThe year of machine-to-machine journalism“Search and social helped tailor information choices to individuals to a degree by leveraging content recommendation technology. But what happens when the content itself can be created, processed, and distributed through algorithms?”

Michael KuntzThe only pivot that might work“It’s easy to blame the platform monopolies for publishers’ quandaries, but it’s time to also acknowledge that there are simply too many of us in the digital news space.”

Alan SoonThe rise of start of psychographic, micro-targeted media“The Russians are doing it. Cambridge Analytica is doing it. Why haven’t newsrooms seen this as an opportunity?”

Joanne McNeilGatekeeping the gatekeepers“‘The algorithm knows best’ is now a laughably naive position to take, even for the companies that initially pushed that narrative.”

Kinsey WilsonFacebook and Google: Help out or pay up“Either Facebook and Google are platforms, in which case they need to manage their infrastructure in a way that allows independent journalism to thrive. Or they are publishers, in which case they need to provide direct financial support for the journalism their platforms deliver.”

Mike CaulfieldRefactoring media literacy for the networked age“An awful lot of highly educated folks, skilled in all sorts of traditional media literacy, are hopelessly lost on the web. (Many of these people are faculty).”

Marie GilotNo assholes allowed“The price? Toxic workplaces, talent drain, skewed covering, lawsuits, long-term damage to news organizations’ reputation and credibility, and loss of revenue from advertisers, subscribers, and members.”

Molly de AguiarGood journalism won’t be enough“If journalists want the public to listen, then journalists have to listen to the public. If journalists want the public to care, then journalists have to care about the public.”

Joanne LipmanJournalists inventing revenue streams“Ideas are already bubbling up around audio, syndication, licensing, partnerships, foundation grants, and more. These approaches enable journalists to preserve independence and integrity while allowing for funding that supports critically important work.”

Jesse HolcombInformation disorder, coming to a congressional district near you“Turns out you don’t have to live on a coast to be treated with suspicion reserved for ‘elites.'”

Imaeyen IbangaLongform video leads the way“Whether journalists recognize it or not, we’re all on a march to making video content that’s worthy of Netflix. 2018 will show longform video journalism can be appointment viewing and bingeable.”

Tamar CharneyWe get serious about algorithms“More and more, we’re getting comments from NPR One listeners along the lines of ‘I don’t want personalization, I want the news.’ My answer is, that’s exactly what we are using personalization algorithms to do.”

Vivian SchillerPivot to tomorrow“Will all this have a massive impact in 2018? Maybe not. But I’m reminded of the Bill Gates line that we always overestimate the change that will come in the next two years and underestimate the change that will come in 10.”

Matt CarlsonAttacks on the press will get worse“Such a partisan split indicates something foundational going on, like the plates of a fault line that had been producing tremors for years suddenly and violently pulling apart.”

Kyle EllisLet’s build our way out of this“By leveraging design-thinking principles and deep audience insights, we can better understand our readers on an individual level, determine the commonalities between large groups of individuals, come up with practical ideas that solve real problems, and quickly test for efficacy.”

Manoush ZomorodiSelf-help as a publishing strategy“There is no blueprint for these sorts of projects, because they are built on personality and trust. One size does not fit all. They require building a content feedback loop that requires dedication and resources.”

Luke O'NeilThe end is already here“Better to be consumed in the nuclear blast than to live rummaging among the ruins. Those of us still left in the business are the poor survivors. We’ve peered into the cannibals’ cellar.”

Jake LevineThe return to now“Gone from our feeds is the feeling of now-ness that made the real-time web so enthralling for many of us in the early days of the social media boom. This does not seem to be lost on the major social platforms.”

Felix SalmonCovering bitcoin while owning bitcoin“The web of undisclosed conflicts in the bitcoin world is almost impossible to disentangle, especially since one of the celebrated features of cryptocurrencies is that they can be held secretly.”

Juliette De MaeyerA responsible press criticism“I know there is a difference between, let’s say, sound political economy scholarship that describes the structure of ownership of commercial mainstream media outlets and angry tweetstorms that denounce the corrupt MSM.”

Heather BryantBuilding the ecosystems for collaboration“This is the year when we develop the infrastructure, protocols, and processes to support and facilitate effective collaboration where and when it’s needed, quickly and effectively initiated.”

Adam ThomasSharing is caring: The year of the mentor“As an industry, and as individuals, we’re realizing that we need to invest in organizational change, personal growth, and the human connections that will get us there.”

Neha GandhiFiller killers“Reach is down for most publishers already (a cursory look at CrowdTangle will illustrate this clearly), and eventually, we’re all going to break up with Facebook — or at least cool things off a little bit.”

Nicholas QuahStop talking trash about young people“As with all things media these days, the fate of the space is decided on the platform level. And as with all things media these days, the rest of us have to figure out ways to avoid the falling debris.”

Jim MoroneyNewspapers have to be good enough for readers to pay for“Those still putting digital advertising ahead of paid digital subscriptions are in danger of extinction.”

Alexios MantzarlisMoving fake news research out of the lab“If we want real-world solutions, we need real-world data, however. We need to learn how people actually consume fake news and fact checks when they encounter them in their everyday life, or when they look them up to prove (or disprove) an argument.”

Kelsey ProudNo, no, no“In 2017, parts of our industry long asleep woke up to some of the insidious consequences of saying “yes” to the status quo too often. In 2018, by saying “no” to the right things, we can make room to say “yes” to awakened opportunities.”

Christopher MeighanPassive partnership is in the rearview“Instead of jumping onto every new platform, ask yourself: Why should we be here? Can we make it better? Add more value? Be more useful? Can we provide a unique experience?”

C.W. AndersonThe social media apocalypse“In the new world slowly emerging by the end of 2018, people begin to read long 18th-century English novels, go to the symphony, and watch 12 to 14 hours of terrestrial television a day. They also play board games as a family.”

Ariana TobinToo tired to tap“I predict our readers are going to get more tired — and that means they’re going to stop responding to this insane, frantic mass of news we’re throwing at them by the minute.”

Kathleen McElroyBuilding a news video experience native to mobile“Just as people choose music for different settings — chill workout, hardcore workout, cooking dinner, putting the children to bed — users could tailor the news content they want to hear or read based on mood or situation rather than, say, politics or locale.”

Alastair CooteThe year of self-improvement“2016 and 2017 have been the years of news organizations fitting our content into other companies’ boxes in the quest for The Answer To All Of Our Problems — only to realize that tech giants get bored quickly and have no qualms leaving us holding a dozen additional mini-problems.”

Jennifer ChoiStanding up for us and for each other“We’ll stop using objectivity as an excuse for a weak and lazy narrative and step forcefully into giving voice to those who are perpetually harmed and ignored. We’ll be brutally fair and speak up, especially against bullies.”

Dheerja KaurFun with subscription products“Some may be free, some may be premium. At theSkimm, we think of all of our products as subscription — all users are subscribing to a point of view or a value proposition, even if they aren’t paying.”

Justin KosslynThe year journalists become digital security experts“To tell stories, they will need to understand the digital security dynamics of the subjects they write about. To preserve their own security, they will need to implement hardened digital security tools and practices in their own work.”

Federica CherubiniThe rise of bridge roles in news organizations“In 2018, it’s important we start seriously thinking about how these roles — and the people in them — can evolve. These jobs are not easily categorized and are difficult to explain not only during a dinner party or in conversations with our parents — even colleagues battle to grasp their peculiarities.”

Ray SotoVR reaches the next level“2018 is the year we all need to stop making excuses and jump head first into the unknown. We must embrace these technologies and understand the future of media will not be driven by what we’re already comfortable with.”

Rasmus Kleis NielsenThe Snapchat scenario and the risk of more closed platforms“For those who see the relationship between platforms and publishers as a zero-sum game, having a platform like Facebook or YouTube stepping away from news might seem like a win.”

Will SommerThe year local media gets conservative“2018 will be the year that every media market in the country gets its own Fox News-style voice at the local level.”

Taylor LorenzSocial and media will split“As users migrate to these closed systems, they’re also shifting away from the type of broad-based algorithmic feeds packed with news and media content that were the hallmark of first-generation social media.”

Rachel SchallomBetter design helps differentiate opinion and news“Readers see articles posted on social media or shared by friends via email or messaging apps. It needs to be immediately obvious to the reader whether that content is news or opinion, and that’s something the industry is sorely failing at. “

Richard TofelThe platforms’ power demands more reporters’ attention“It is increasingly clear that the operation of the platforms, both from an antitrust perspective and even more importantly from the perspective of democratic governance, has received remarkably little scrutiny.”

Zizi PapacharissiWomen come back“I am tired of seeing the same old faces dominate news and politics. I want to hear and see young, sensitized, informed, and clever people, from all perspectives and backgrounds, populate my infoscape.”

Nathalie MalinarichPeak push“Push notifications can feel intrusive and I suspect many complaints about the editorial choices for push alerts are triggered by annoyance at being interrupted rather than their subject matter.”

Bill KellerA growing turn to philanthropy“In 2018, more nonprofit newsrooms will be launched than North Korean test missiles.”

Jacqui ChengRetailers move into content“The challenge to Internet users will be the same challenge we face in all aspects of journalism these days: How do you decide who to trust, and which takes seem authentic?”

John KeefeScooped by AI“I’m not talking about computer-generated stories about earthquakes, earnings reports, or sports scores. These will be stories on your beat, written by humans who understand how to use machine learning to aid their reporting.”

Carlos Martínez de la SernaThe new journalism commons“How might we design open-ended systems for news production built around common pooled resources to collectively address critical issues, such as verification or the digital divide?”

Juleyka LantiguaWomen of color will reclaim and monetize our time“And when we forego a panel or a keynote or a book chapter or media appearance because it is not paid, we will reinvest that time into our own work, reclaiming not only our time but our worth.”

Kristen MullerThe year of the voter“What does that look like? It means less reporting from the party and campaign level, more reporting from communities.”

Laura E. DavisWriting answers before you know the question“A couple weeks ago, I tried asking Alexa, ‘What’s the latest with Roy Moore?’ She couldn’t help me. But it seems to me that news organizations need to prepare for that question and the logical following conversation sooner rather than later.”

Cory HaikSuffering from realness, pivoting to impact“The winners will be the ones who have built a meaningful journalistic report that transcends, and likely capitalizes on, the platform moment.”

Eric UlkenThe year local publishers get smart(er) about change“We know that change is continuous, and yet we’ve gotten comfortable in thinking about change initiatives as having a beginning and end. Even the word we often use — transformation — suggests a stable end state, a time when the change is done and we can all just get back to work.”

Ruth PalmerRisks will grow for news subjects — especially minorities“Almost all of the female voters I have interviewed who spoke to the press last year experienced some form of harassment afterward, ranging from insulting social media messages to threatening calls and letters.”

Nicholas DiakopoulosFortifying social media from automated inauthenticity“Artificial neural networks are advancing rapidly in their ability to synthesize content — including images, videos, and texts — that are increasingly indistinguishable from authentic content.”

Cindy RoyalYour journalism curriculum is obsolete“What processes are you establishing that will allow your program to remain current over time? What’s preventing you from taking action? Is it accreditation standards, university bureaucracy, or faculty interest/competency?”

Valérie Bélair-GagnonSeeking trust in fragmented spaces“Chat apps are hybrid media, with complex and shifting features. As a result, they pose challenges for reporters trying to develop trust with users.”