Media Leader 2025: Skills & Traits
Building News Resilience: Four Key Strategies for Media Companies in an Unstable World
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The media landscape is in constant flux. To not just survive, but thrive, in this environment requires a proactive approach to resilience. A new report from WAN-IFRA, drawing on insights from leading publishers worldwide, identifies four key strategies for building that resilience.These aren’t about weathering storms, but about leveraging them for growth.
1. Embrace Resilience as a Growth Prospect
The customary view of resilience – simply surviving a crisis – is outdated. Today’s prosperous media companies see crises as catalysts for innovation adn advancement. This requires a fundamental shift in mindset, focusing on adaptability and opportunity.
Bartosz Hojka, CEO of now, Poland, encapsulates this perspective: “Our strategy around resilience because I believe that in our unstable world, it’s probably one of the most significant traits of media companies. And to me, resilience is not about surviving a crisis but advancing in a crisis – using it as an opportunity.”
This proactive stance necessitates continuous evaluation of business models, revenue streams, and editorial strategies. It means being prepared to pivot quickly and embrace new technologies, rather than being paralyzed by uncertainty.
2. define and Champion a Clear Mission
Beyond hitting key performance indicators (KPIs), a strong sense of purpose is crucial for building momentum and guiding strategic decisions. Knowing why your journalism exists, and who it serves, provides a powerful anchor in turbulent times.
Styli Charalambous, Co-Founder and CEO of Daily Maverick, South Africa, emphasizes this point: “The organisations that will achieve success are those that are more strategic, where the organisation is more aligned and the newsroom is aligned and understands vision, mission. … Why does our journalism exist,and who are we doing this for?”
This mission-driven approach isn’t just about feel-good branding. It informs editorial choices, shapes audience engagement, and attracts talent who are passionate about the institution’s values. Monicah Ndung’u, Chief Corporate Affairs and Partnerships Officer of Nation Media Group, Kenya, highlights this connection: “Our biggest bet remains on how we can remain trusted, relevant, and provide depth and context regardless of vertical platforms or tools. and it all comes back to impacting society in a positive way, every day.”
3. Foster a Culture of Constant Adaptation
The pressure to adapt and innovate is relentless in the publishing world. The most resilient organizations address this by prioritizing open communication,providing clear direction,and fostering a culture of experimentation.This involves encouraging honest self-assessment. Dmitry Shishkin, Strategic Editorial Advisor at Ringier International, asks: “”[W]e also have to keep asking ourselves tough questions: Are we original enough? Are we producing a lot of commodity news, such as? Are we having those honest conversations in our newsrooms?”
Building trust and stability within the newsroom is also paramount, even while driving cultural change. Xenia Daum, CEO of kleine Zeitung, Austria, notes: “[D]riving cultural change while maintaining trust and stability in the newsroom has required thoughtful, consistent communication and a lot of listening.”
embracing experimentation and learning from both successes and failures is key. Lisa Inenius, editor-in-Chief and Ceo of Svenska Dagbladet, sweden, advocates for: “In today’s environment you have to experiment, so it’s all about getting team members and journalists onboard to take on an interesting project.To show that ‘we did this and we learned this.'”
4. Learn from Industry Leaders
These strategies aren’t theoretical. They are being actively implemented by successful publishers around the globe.The WAN-IFRA report delves into specific examples from organizations like Le Monde, Die Zeit, The New York Times, FT, and The Atlantic, providing actionable insights and best practices.
The full playbook report dives into all these areas – and more – including strategies from Le Monde, Die Zeit, The New York times, FT, The Atlantic, and others.
This story originally appeared in Strategy & Leadership, our newsletter about the trends, insights and people shaping the future of news. To get stories like this in your inbox first, sign up here.