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News Alchemists #7: "The future of journalism isn't AI. It's the audience."

Hello and welcome to the first official edition of the News Alchemists Newsletter!

My name is Mattia, and you're receiving this email because some time between last June and last week you signed up to receive updates about News Alchemists, or you subscribed to this newsletter after reading about it on LinkedIn.

Every week, I send a curation of 7 links that I hope will make you think – and most importantly give you hope – about redefining journalism and its role in society. 📚

You asked to receive this newsletter, so you already know why this 'redefinition' is important and urgent. But if you want a reminder, take five minutes to read this article I wrote three weeks ago: The year we redefine our relationship with audiences and our role in society.

Let me stop this introduction here so we can move on to the 7 links. But keep reading after the links if you want to:

  1. Learn more about News Alchemists and about this newsletter – including why the headline says #7 even if I wrote that it's the first edition 😅
  2. Get a couple of tips on how to make the most of this newsletter 🧩 🧞
  3. Tell me what you think of this newsletter and what I can do to help you, and to make you feel more hopeful about journalism and its role in society.

Onto today's curation:

Brilliant post by 🧞Adriana Lacy. So good that four people tagged me in the comments or sent it to me via DM 😅. (Mayra was the first one. Thank you, Mayra!) One-line truth bomb: "The crisis in journalism isn't a technology problem, it's a relationship problem."

"Launched in November 2021, 🧩 The Kyiv Independent is Ukraine’s fastest-growing English-language media outlet. Today, with a community-focused membership model, 70% of revenue comes directly from reader support." (Editor's note: ‼️) By 🧞Madeleine White on The Audiencers.

🧞Lucy Küng asked on LinkedIn: "What is the single top strategic priority for news organisations now? Growth (how to hit targets) or Culture (shifting mindset)?" The conversation that developed in the comments is can't-miss stuff.

Re:filtered by 🧞Patrick Boehler is one of my favourite newsletters, and I know I will end up sharing it often. This edition shows why: "For too long, it was enough to deliver grandiose narratives rather than developing validated services that directly benefit people. […] we need to come to terms with the fact that random publishing doesn't achieve much, and rebuild from there, with intention."

🧞Jeff Elgie, CEO of 🧩 Village Media: "What we’re seeing is a real community movement taking shape. Discussions are hyperlocal, civil, and not toxic—with near-zero moderation required. People are engaging in meaningful, place-based conversations. Local businesses, experts, and organizations are connecting in ways that add real value."

The American Press Institute challenges us to think of media as "a force for social connection, a convener of people across differences and a facilitator for what to do after the facts are laid bare."

Last week saw the launch of News Futures, "a collective of people, ideas, and spaces focused on building a participatory and networked future for local news." The initiative is very U.S.-focused, but the purpose and principles are applicable at a global level and worth checking out.

Want more? 📚 Check out the previous editions

About News Alchemists and this newsletter

News Alchemists is a project I started last year, during a fellowship with the International Center for Journalists. I gathered some of the brightest minds in my network, and we met regularly over nine months to reflect on what our industry needs to do to heal the broken relationship between journalism and the people we aim to serve.

The challenge can be daunting, as there are no easy fixes. But I believe we can succeed if we stay hopeful, nurture our sense of purpose, and learn from one another. That's what gave me the idea of creating this newsletter, as I explain in more detail here.

For a few weeks, I tested the idea on LinkedIn, asking people there if they were interested in receiving a curation of links like these directly in their inbox. Their answer – your answer! – was loud and clear:

So, after six posts on LinkedIn, you are now reading the 7th edition 😉

Making the most of this newsletter

Raise your hand if you like a treasure hunt 🙋 I hope you did because in these emails the links that are worthy of your attention are more than seven:

When you see this emoji 🧩 before the name of an organisation, check them out. They are amazing orgs I want to highlight because their success provides a piece of the puzzle (see what I did there?), showing that it's possible to build sustainable journalism that creates value for people.

And when you see a 🧞genie before the name of a person? Click on the name and follow their work. That's someone we can all learn a lot from.

Wanna tell me what you like and don't like about the newsletter?

Do it, please! I love all kinds of feedback: what you like, so I can do more of it; what you don't, so I can do less of that; or any other suggestion to make this newsletter more useful and more accessible:

  • Hit the like button at the end of this post, or click on Comment to leave a public note;
  • If you are reading this in your inbox, just hit Reply and message me directly. I'd love to hear your thoughts and also any recommendations for interesting links I should include in the following edition.
  • If you like what you read, share this post on your social media of choice and encourage more people to sign up!

See you next week! 👋

Published by:

Mattia Peretti

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