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To build the future, we need theories of change
News tends to treat technology as something that happens to it, like an asteroid. To better navigate the future, we need to imagine what might come next.
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AI may be the new gatekeepers, but human connection is more needed than ever
"What comes next, after the algorithmic social feed that’s defined our digital social lives for the last decade?" I believe this very useful presentation will be referred back to for years to come.
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To maintain their independence, publishers are fleeing Substack
"Substack faced talent drain in 2024 linked to its platforming of Nazi newsletters, but now it’s not just the platform’s stance on hate speech that’s driving away creators."
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Asking platforms to do better won't work. We need to force their hands
"If there were a dictator of the internet who intentionally set out to destroy your ability to get accurate information, the result would look a lot like what’s already on your screen. But why?"
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Plugging the gaps won't save news. It's time to redesign
"Journalists, cultural workers, content creators, and other trusted messengers are enabling better civic insight for communities. How do we economically support the civic information future that society needs?"
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The way to save news is not to create monopolistic monocultures
"Why, a funder asked me recently, do two intermediaries this funder saw as offering duplicative services both still exist? Because you—and your funder colleagues—let them, I said." But consolidation is a dangerous road.
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Why Knight Foundation Invested in Bluesky
Newsrooms have been slow to care about the open social web - but one of their most important support organizations is paying attention.
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BBC says ‘irreversible’ trends mean it will not survive without major overhaul
The BBC is dying. It needs to be preserved - but doing so will require a radical reinvention.
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Stop calling optimization "innovation."
"The problem is, if you’re optimizing a product that fundamentally isn’t working for how people get news in 2026, all you’re really doing is riding that buggy off of a cliff with style."
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In Graphic Detail: Subscriptions are rising at big news publishers – even as traffic shrinks
In a world where traffic is decreasing, publishers are moving more heavily into subscriptions - with very good results.
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Most Americans don’t pay for news and don’t think they need to
Only 8% of respondents believe individual Americans have a responsibility to pay for news. "I don't think that information should be a privilege," one respondent said.
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Journalism lost its culture of sharing
"The data are clear: The open-source culture that defined an earlier era of online journalism has collapsed."