Hey there,

Yesterday and today, I’ve had the privilege of being in New York at the Newmark J+ News Leadership Unconference, an invite-only event bringing together industry leaders from around the world to discuss the most pressing issues in journalism. This morning, I even led a provocative session on whether we should kill the traditional news article. Spicy, right?

As a consultant in audience engagement and journalism, this gathering has underscored a trend I’ve been observing for a while: while newsroom leaders acknowledge the rapidly evolving digital landscape, many still cling to pageviews as their primary success metric. This disconnect is preventing us from moving forward as an industry.

If I were running a newsroom today, my focus would be on three key areas:

1. Audience strategy: Equipping teams with the right tools and knowledge to excel in the digital age.

2. Expanding reporter roles: Encouraging journalists to think beyond the traditional 500-word story. What video components can they create? What in-person events can they host?

3. Developing comprehensive metrics: Moving beyond pageviews to better understand our impact.

A great example of this shift is The 19th*, which, as reported by Columbia Journalism Review, introduced a new baseline called "total journalism reach." This metric includes:

• Website views

• Republished story views

• Newsletter engagement

• Event attendance

• Video views

• Podcast listens

• Social media engagement

This holistic approach offers a much clearer picture of audience engagement across platforms, and it’s something all newsrooms should adopt. News leaders need to take digital seriously, invest in their audience teams, and focus on off-platform experiences. The public has made it clear they want more than just articles – we must listen.

Non-profit organizations may find this easier due to fewer subscription or advertising constraints, but all news models should be moving in this direction.

The future of journalism depends on our ability to adapt, measure what truly matters, and serve our audiences where they are. Let’s lead the change.

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