This is a candidate for the 2025-26 ONA Board of Directors election.
Rodney Gibbs is a journalism innovator dedicated to strengthening local news. As Head of Product and Audience at The National Trust for Local News, he helps 65 newsrooms in rural and suburban communities enhance their digital reach and develop new revenue.
Rodney previously served as Senior Director of Strategy and Innovation at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where he helped modernize the legacy publication by developing live events and leading storytelling experimentation.
He was the first Chief Product Officer at The Texas Tribune, where he played a key role in elevating the organization from a fledgling start-up to an industry leader. During his nine-year tenure, he launched Revenue Lab, a training center that helped news organizations across the country develop new revenue streams and expand their audiences.
Rodney is a graduate of CUNY’s Executive Program in News Innovation and Leadership and a member of its AI Journalism Lab. He serves on the boards of the Online News Association and The Current, a digital newsroom focused on Georgia’s coastal communities. He has also served on the boards of several nonprofits, including Austin’s NPR and PBS affiliates, The Austin Film Society, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas, and The Texas Motion Picture Alliance.
Rodney’s vision for the future of digital journalism
I’m optimistic about the future of digital journalism. Despite the cuts and setbacks, I remain hopeful. From news startups carving their own paths to legacy publications redefining themselves, and support organizations like ONA, LION, and SRCCON adapting to meet evolving needs, digital journalism demonstrates its resilience.
We survive together, or we hang separately. That’s how I see the future of digital journalism. I envision a future where digital journalism is more interconnected, with newsrooms around the world sharing resources, tools, and expertise to face challenges together. ONA should be the connective tissue in this effort.
Innovation will continue to lead the way, with AI and emerging technologies playing key roles in how we gather, distribute, and monetize news. Yet, it’s the human element—journalists’ commitment to truth, integrity, and community—that drives us forward. I see a journalism landscape where local and niche publications thrive, empowered by practices and products that enable us to reach and engage audiences in meaningful and sustainable ways.
The future of digital journalism hinges on our ability to adapt, collaborate, and uphold the principles of journalism while embracing new opportunities to serve our communities, particularly through ways that prioritize our audience’s needs, not ours. It’s a significant existential challenge not just to our industry but to democracy itself. While the task can be daunting, I remain resolute. The creativity and persistence of my peers and organizations like ONA inspire me. We will persevere and evolve digital journalism to ensure it remains sustainable and effective in connecting and informing the public for generations to come. That belief keeps me going.