One of the most pressing concerns raised during the AP-hosted panel on the future of local media was the growing challenge of attracting and retaining talent. As the media landscape continues to evolve, traditional qualifications are no longer sufficient. Leaders across the industry are rethinking what it means to build a successful newsroom.
“Acquiring talent is a very difficult thing for us right now,” said Leonard Woolsey, President of Southern Newspapers. “We need nimble thinkers, people that have confidence and curiosity and can take that punch and get back up and find a way to win.”
This shift in hiring practices represents a broader cultural transformation. According to Woolsey, resumes used to dominate hiring decisions, but now personality traits such as resilience, curiosity, and adaptability matter just as much, if not more.
“We used to hire to the resume… Now we look deeper into more of the person, their tendencies, engagement, curiosity, and resiliency,” he added.
For smaller or resource-constrained newsrooms, this evolution also means rethinking structure and operations. Arvid Tchivzhel of Mather Economics, who serves in a strategic role with the Bangor Daily News, emphasized that talent is only one part of the equation.
“You can hire a bunch of consultants to give you a strategy… But then how do you execute it?” he asked.
Tchivzhel explained that BDN adopted a new operational model by bringing in fractional leadership with national expertise to inject a higher level of strategic discipline and cross-functional collaboration. It’s a move that reflects a deeper truth: successful journalism today isn’t just about writing good stories—it’s about building a nimble, unified team that can pivot and perform in a dynamic environment.
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