In the AP Forward webinar, “Shaping the Future of Audience Engagement,” Emma Patti of Atlas Obscura and Juan Carlos Van Meek of Al Jazeera described a new kind of newsroom – one driven by real-time feedback and AI-assisted efficiency.
“We look at the data every single day,” said Van Meek. “Across all platforms.”
Today, analytics and AI are no longer back-office functions. They’re embedded directly into content strategy and editorial decision-making.
Smarter with signals: The new analytics workflow
Audience behavior is shaping how stories are pitched, packaged, and promoted. According to a 2025 survey by the Knight Foundation, 63% of newsrooms now use some form of AI or automation to evaluate engagement patterns and optimize publishing decisions. For teams like Patti’s, this means tracking repeat readers, scroll depth, and topic interest to inform everything from newsletter frequency to TikTok strategy.
Patti said, “We’re in the middle of a full audit of who our readers are and how many are coming back five times or more. That tells us what builds habit and what doesn’t.”
AI as Copilot, not creator
While generative tools are being adopted to automate summaries, transcriptions, and internal alerts, both leaders emphasized the human remains essential.
“There are stories we know won’t perform—but we still have to do them,” said Van Meek. “That’s where the editorial judgment comes in.”
Studies from independent research centers like the Craig Newmark Center for Journalism Ethics show that audiences value transparency and reject fully AI-generated reporting without clear oversight. The best results occur when automation augments the newsroom’s ability to move faster, not replace its values.
Actionable Takeaways
- Embed analytics into pitch, planning, and post-mortem workflows.
- Set a clear editorial line for where AI can assist vs. where it cannot.
- Prioritize metrics that signal habit (return visits, completion rate) over pure clicks.
Questions for Leaders
- What do your analytics say about content that creates loyalty?
- Are editors and journalists empowered to act on data?
- Where could AI help reduce manual load while preserving trust?
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