An Editorial-AI Hybrid Approach to Journalism

After fighting a long and difficult battle for ad dollars against the big tech platforms, the journalism industry has undergone a serious transformation in the past 5 years – away from an all out push for scale and toward earnest efforts to build trusting and meaningful relationships with online readers to earn their loyalty.

To succeed, newsrooms will, of course, need to rely on the editorial and ethical foundations that have made journalism a pillar of US society. But to truly compete with platforms like Facebook, Google, Apples, and Netflix, news orgs have to sharpen their workflows by arming editors with data and AI-based tools that fit seamlessly into the often-frantic editorial process.

From the ability to AB test headlines and images, to creating a dynamic and personalized experience for loyal homepage readers, to increasing subscriptions by targeting “high-propensity” readers, to categorizing the topics that are driving news readership, news publishers that take advantage of these tools and more will not only survive, but thrive.

This archived session from ONA22 was designed for:

• Editors whose impact on their publisher’s missions can be amplified with the strategic use of AI
• Product managers whose ability to improve engagement metrics in touchpoints like homepages, and ability to use real estate to drive reader value, can be greatly supported by the use of AI

The ONA Midway is home to curated programming, such as this session, featuring topics at the intersection of tech and media. These sessions highlight topics of importance to the ONA community and feature experts offering perspectives from both inside and outside of the global newsroom. Learn more about how Midway Programming is organized at the annual conference here.