In a media environment crowded with content and misinformation, newsrooms are not just competing with each other; they’re competing with everything. At the latest AP Forward webinar, “Shaping the Future of Audience Engagement,” two newsroom leaders offered a playbook for staying relevant: Juan Carlos Van Meek, Director of Digital Innovation at Al Jazeera, and Emma Patti, Executive Editor at Atlas Obscura and former Managing Editor of The Baltimore Banner.
“Our audiences don’t necessarily need us until we give them a reason to,” said Patti. That mindset is driving some of the most successful engagement strategies today.
Own the Relationship, Not Just the Content
Van Meek put it plainly: “If you don’t own the platform, you can’t trust it.” Al Jazeera has seen shadowbans and content deprioritization firsthand. That’s why they’re doubling down on owned assets like apps, websites, and newsletters – spaces where they control both distribution and data.
Patti offered a complementary strategy: layering community on top of content. Book clubs, Discord groups, and exclusive events bring users into a branded ecosystem that doesn’t vanish with the next algorithm update.
Even small in-person engagements, like coffee shop meetups or subscriber dinners, are now central to retention strategies. They offer a face-to-face trust building layer that social platforms can’t replicate.
Engagement is built through experimentation
Neither organization is chasing perfect products. Instead, they’re testing constantly and iterating quickly. At The Banner, Audience Engagement Editor and TikTok host, Krishna Sharma, has become a trusted voice by blending credibility with humor and by showing up consistently
“Digital audiences will forgive a bad set or shaky lighting if the person on screen is authentic,” Van Meek noted.
Patti emphasized that experimentation should be public, “Let your audience know you’re testing. Bring them in. Ask for feedback.” It’s a strategy that turns one-time viewers into community stakeholders and trusted contributors.
Lead with Data, Not Clicks
Data isn’t about chasing trends—it’s about knowing when to pivot. Both Patti and Van Meek emphasized using real-time data to refine content formats, audience personas, and platform priorities.
“We audit constantly,” said Patti. “Who’s coming back? What content is building habit?”
For stories that won’t perform on TikTok, the answer might be a podcast or newsletter. What matters is knowing your audience and delivering value in the right format, not posting everything everywhere.
Actionable Takeaways
- Invest in first-party channels: Build loyalty through email, apps, and events.
- Elevate newsroom personalities: Audiences follow people, not brands.
- Treat formats as experiments: Kill what doesn’t work, double down on what does.
- Align AI to editorial values: Use it to support, not replace, your journalistic mission.
Questions for leaders
- Which audience relationships do you fully own?
- Who are your internal influencers?
- What’s your content testing cadence?
This is the evolving mandate for modern newsrooms: deliver truth, with personality, in the formats people use now.
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