Coverage of immigrant communities often focuses on their journey and the challenges at their destination, but more news organizations are realizing the untapped potential of connecting diaspora audiences with their homelands, opening new opportunities for stories and revenue in the coming year and beyond.
Organizations on both sides of the equator have been charting the way in the past few years, experimenting with products and models with varying degrees of success. In a research paper for the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism published earlier this year, journalist Claudia L. Cruz analyzed some of those cases and pointed out that those that have thrived did so by dedicating time and resources to understanding the audiences they wanted to reach.
“The first goal of any outlet looking to explore new opportunities like this should be profiling the audience in the most detailed way possible, and then considering how your existing product might meet their unique needs. This exploration should go beyond audience data to incorporate research that will give you the clearest possible information about your customer segment,” wrote Cruz.
In practice, that translates into coverage that audiences can not find anywhere else. For example, Conexión Migrante, a digital publication for Latino migrants on both sides of the U.S. border with Mexico, has built a following by creating content that caters to the needs of migrants that are already in the U.S. and need information on how to apply for services and benefits — but also for those that are on the road and need assistance and advice to avoid dangers.
It also offers content for the families that stayed behind and want to know about life in the places where their loved ones are. Recently, through the support of Report for the World, Conexión Migrante added a reporter focused entirely on covering migrant women.
Premium Times in Nigeria created a dedicated diaspora beat where reporters cover relevant news for the biggest clusters of Nigerians abroad, but also local stories written for those who want to stay informed about what happens in their home country, but don’t have the time or energy to follow every development.
In 2023, we’ll see more news organizations tinker with these models. In order to be successful, newsroom leaders will have to avoid the mistake that many politicians make when courting the votes from migrants: Assuming that they are an extension of their local audiences with the same interests or needs. Shedding socioeconomic and cultural preconceptions and approaching the diaspora on equal terms, with an open mind, must be a priority.
Deciphering what coverage is valued by the diaspora will also be key. This, as Cruz argued, can be achieved by listening to these communities, whether it’s through surveys, in-person events, or other channels, and translating those insights into news products that fill a role in their lives.
A separate mention must be made for members of the media in exile, who have the added responsibility of speaking for those who can’t do so in their countries, usually with few resources, but serving audiences who desperately need their content. Organizations like Radio Rozana for Syrians and Armando.Info for Venezuelans, among others, have proved that it is possible to sustain independent and impactful projects with the support of the diaspora and the international community. But there is still a lot of work to be done to help exiled journalists, particularly those from Afghanistan and Myanmar, get back on their feet and launch new initiatives.
Diaspora communities will continue to grow around the world, fueled by conflict, climate change, economic opportunities, and many other factors. For those news organizations that see an opportunity and invest in understanding their audiences abroad, this can be an opportunity to expand their reach and provide a unique service to their users, regardless of where they live.
Wilson Liévano is the managing editor of The GroundTruth Project, home of Report for the World.
Coverage of immigrant communities often focuses on their journey and the challenges at their destination, but more news organizations are realizing the untapped potential of connecting diaspora audiences with their homelands, opening new opportunities for stories and revenue in the coming year and beyond.
Organizations on both sides of the equator have been charting the way in the past few years, experimenting with products and models with varying degrees of success. In a research paper for the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism published earlier this year, journalist Claudia L. Cruz analyzed some of those cases and pointed out that those that have thrived did so by dedicating time and resources to understanding the audiences they wanted to reach.
“The first goal of any outlet looking to explore new opportunities like this should be profiling the audience in the most detailed way possible, and then considering how your existing product might meet their unique needs. This exploration should go beyond audience data to incorporate research that will give you the clearest possible information about your customer segment,” wrote Cruz.
In practice, that translates into coverage that audiences can not find anywhere else. For example, Conexión Migrante, a digital publication for Latino migrants on both sides of the U.S. border with Mexico, has built a following by creating content that caters to the needs of migrants that are already in the U.S. and need information on how to apply for services and benefits — but also for those that are on the road and need assistance and advice to avoid dangers.
It also offers content for the families that stayed behind and want to know about life in the places where their loved ones are. Recently, through the support of Report for the World, Conexión Migrante added a reporter focused entirely on covering migrant women.
Premium Times in Nigeria created a dedicated diaspora beat where reporters cover relevant news for the biggest clusters of Nigerians abroad, but also local stories written for those who want to stay informed about what happens in their home country, but don’t have the time or energy to follow every development.
In 2023, we’ll see more news organizations tinker with these models. In order to be successful, newsroom leaders will have to avoid the mistake that many politicians make when courting the votes from migrants: Assuming that they are an extension of their local audiences with the same interests or needs. Shedding socioeconomic and cultural preconceptions and approaching the diaspora on equal terms, with an open mind, must be a priority.
Deciphering what coverage is valued by the diaspora will also be key. This, as Cruz argued, can be achieved by listening to these communities, whether it’s through surveys, in-person events, or other channels, and translating those insights into news products that fill a role in their lives.
A separate mention must be made for members of the media in exile, who have the added responsibility of speaking for those who can’t do so in their countries, usually with few resources, but serving audiences who desperately need their content. Organizations like Radio Rozana for Syrians and Armando.Info for Venezuelans, among others, have proved that it is possible to sustain independent and impactful projects with the support of the diaspora and the international community. But there is still a lot of work to be done to help exiled journalists, particularly those from Afghanistan and Myanmar, get back on their feet and launch new initiatives.
Diaspora communities will continue to grow around the world, fueled by conflict, climate change, economic opportunities, and many other factors. For those news organizations that see an opportunity and invest in understanding their audiences abroad, this can be an opportunity to expand their reach and provide a unique service to their users, regardless of where they live.
Wilson Liévano is the managing editor of The GroundTruth Project, home of Report for the World.
Mar Cabra The inevitable mental health revolution
Pia Frey Publishers start polling their users at scale
Rodney Gibbs Recalibrating how we work apart
Dominic-Madori Davis Everyone finally realizes the need for diverse voices in tech reporting
Jonas Kaiser Rejecting the “free speech” frame
Sarah Stonbely Growth in public funding for news and information at the state and local levels
Surya Mattu Data journalists learn from photojournalists
Upasna Gautam Technology that performs at the speed of news
Jennifer Choi and Jonathan Jackson Funders finally bet on next-generation news entrepreneurs
Shanté Cosme The answer to “quiet quitting” is radical empathy
Burt Herman The year AI truly arrives — and with it the reckoning
Christina Shih Shared values move from nice-to-haves to essentials
Laura E. Davis The year we embrace the robots — and ourselves
Tamar Charney Flux is the new stability
Susan Chira Equipping local journalism
Sue Robinson Engagement journalism will have to confront a tougher reality
Tim Carmody Newsletter writers need a new ethics
Anna Nirmala News organizations get new structures
Eric Thurm Journalists think of themselves as workers
Matt Rasnic More newsroom workers turn to organized labor
Jacob L. Nelson Despite it all, people will still want to be journalists
Lisa Heyamoto The independent news industry gets a roadmap to sustainability
Sarah Marshall A web channel strategy won’t be enough
An Xiao Mina Journalism in a time of permacrisis
Alex Perry New paths to transparency without Twitter
Richard Tofel The press might get better at vetting presidential candidates
Ryan Nave Citizen journalism, but make it equitable
Jody Brannon We’ll embrace policy remedies
Khushbu Shah Global reporting will suffer
Cari Nazeer and Emily Goligoski News organizations step up their support for caregivers
Joe Amditis AI throws a lifeline to local publishers
Jim VandeHei There is no “peak newsletter”
Kaitlin C. Miller Harassment in journalism won’t get better, but we’ll talk about it more openly
John Davidow A year of intergenerational learning
Al Lucca Digital news design gets interesting again
Laxmi Parthasarathy Unlocking the silent demand for international journalism
Jaden Amos TikTok personality journalists continue to rise
Rachel Glickhouse Humanizing newsrooms will be a badge of honor
Elite Truong In platform collapse, an opportunity for community
Joni Deutsch Podcast collaboration — not competition — breeds excellence
Jarrad Henderson Video editing will help people understand the media they consume
Karina Montoya More reporters on the antitrust beat
Ayala Panievsky It’s time for PR for journalism
Leezel Tanglao Community partnerships drive better reporting
Sarah Alvarez Dream bigger or lose out
Janelle Salanga Journalists work from a place of harm reduction
Kerri Hoffman Podcasting goes local
Taylor Lorenz The “creator economy” will be astroturfed
Don Day The news about the news is bad. I’m optimistic.
Amy Schmitz Weiss Journalism education faces a crossroads
Tre'vell Anderson Continued culpability in anti-trans campaigns
Cory Bergman The AI content flood
Nikki Usher This is the year of the RSS reader. (Really!)
Sam Guzik AI will start fact-checking. We may not like the results.
Brian Moritz Rebuilding the news bundle
Ståle Grut Your newsroom experiences a Midjourney-gate, too
Kathy Lu We need emotionally agile newsroom leaders
Sue Schardt Toward a new poetics of journalism
Francesco Zaffarano There is no end of “social media”
Masuma Ahuja Journalism starts working for and with its communities
Sumi Aggarwal Smart newsrooms will prioritize board development
Elizabeth Bramson-Boudreau More of the same
Walter Frick Journalists wake up to the power of prediction markets
Eric Nuzum A focus on people instead of power
Alex Sujong Laughlin Credit where it’s due
David Cohn AI made this prediction
Eric Holthaus As social media fragments, marginalized voices gain more power
Anthony Nadler Confronting media gerrymandering
Nicholas Thompson The year AI actually changes the media business
Andrew Losowsky Journalism realizes the replacement for Twitter is not a new Twitter
Janet Haven ChatGPT and the future of trust
David Skok Renewed interest in human-powered reporting
Kaitlyn Wells We’ll prioritize media literacy for children
Snigdha Sur Newsrooms get nimble in a recession
Delano Massey The industry shakes its imposter syndrome
Simon Galperin Philanthropy stops investing in corporate media
A.J. Bauer Covering the right wrong
Andrew Donohue We’ll find out whether journalism can, indeed, save democracy
Jessica Maddox Journalists keep getting manipulated by internet culture
Gordon Crovitz The year advertisers stop funding misinformation
Raney Aronson-Rath Journalists will band together to fight intimidation
Ryan Gantz “I’m sorry, but I’m a large language model”
Julia Beizer News fatigue shows us a clear path forward
Mario García More newsrooms go mobile-first
J. Siguru Wahutu American journalism reckons with its colonialist tendencies
Bill Grueskin Local news will come to rely on AI
Cindy Royal Yes, journalists should learn to code, but…
Peter Sterne AI enters the newsroom
Jessica Clark Open discourse retrenches
Victor Pickard The year journalism and capitalism finally divorce
Jenna Weiss-Berman The economic downturn benefits the podcasting industry. (No, really!)
Mariana Moura Santos A woman who speaks is a woman who changes the world
Kirstin McCudden We’ll codify protection of journalism and newsgathering
Brian Stelter Finding new ways to reach news avoiders
Molly de Aguiar and Mandy Van Deven Narrative change trend brings new money to journalism
Mary Walter-Brown and Tristan Loper Mission-driven metrics become our North Star
Stefanie Murray The year U.S. media stops screwing around and becomes pro-democracy
Esther Kezia Thorpe Subscription pressures force product innovation
Nicholas Jackson There will be launches — and we’ll keep doing the work
Moreno Cruz Osório Brazilian journalism turns wounds into action
Basile Simon Towards supporting criminal accountability
Gabe Schneider Well-funded journalism leaders stop making disparate pay
Kavya Sukumar Belling the cat: The rise of independent fact-checking at scale
Anika Anand Independent news businesses lead the way on healthy work cultures
Emma Carew Grovum The year to resist forgetting about diversity
Danielle K. Brown and Kathleen Searles DEI efforts must consider mental health and online abuse
Megan Lucero and Shirish Kulkarni The future of journalism is not you
Michael W. Wagner The backlash against pro-democracy reporting is coming
Sarabeth Berman Nonprofit local news shows that it can scale
Dannagal G. Young Stop rewarding elite performances of identity threat
Jesse Holcomb Buffeted, whipped, bullied, pulled
Amethyst J. Davis The slight of the great contraction
Michael Schudson Journalism gets more and more difficult
Ryan Kellett Airline-like loyalty programs try to tie down news readers
Martina Efeyini Talk to Gen Z. They’re the experts of Gen Z.
Valérie Bélair-Gagnon Well-being will become a core tenet of journalism
Bill Adair The year of the fact-check (no, really!)
Sam Gregory Synthetic media forces us to understand how media gets made
Felicitas Carrique and Becca Aaronson News product goes from trend to standard
Jennifer Brandel AI couldn’t care less. Journalists will care more.
Ariel Zirulnick Journalism doubles down on user needs
Barbara Raab More journalism funders will take more risks
Parker Molloy We’ll reach new heights of moral panic
Gina Chua The traditional story structure gets deconstructed
Wilson Liévano Diaspora journalism takes the next step
Larry Ryckman We’ll work together with our competitors
Zizi Papacharissi Platforms are over
Ben Werdmuller The internet is up for grabs again
Mael Vallejo More threats to press freedom across the Americas
Alan Henry A reckoning with why trust in news is so low
Emily Nonko Incarcerated reporters get more bylines
S. Mitra Kalita “Everything sucks. Good luck to you.”
Julia Angwin Democracies will get serious about saving journalism
Jim Friedlich Local journalism steps up to the challenge of civic coverage
Alexandra Borchardt The year of the climate journalism strategy
Jakob Moll Journalism startups will think beyond English
Joshua P. Darr Local to live, wire to wither
Doris Truong Workers demand to be paid what the job is worth
Sue Cross Thinking and acting collectively to save the news
Joanne McNeil Facebook and the media kiss and make up
Johannes Klingebiel The innovation team, R.I.P.
Priyanjana Bengani Partisan local news networks will collaborate
Dana Lacey Tech will screw publishers over
Cassandra Etienne Local news fellowships will help fight newsroom inequities
Anita Varma Journalism prioritizes the basic need for survival
Mauricio Cabrera It’s no longer about audiences, it’s about communities
Eric Ulken Generative AI brings wrongness at scale
Hillary Frey Death to the labor-intensive memo for prospective hires
Paul Cheung More news organizations will realize they are in the business of impact, not eyeballs
Daniel Trielli Trust in news will continue to fall. Just look at Brazil.
Josh Schwartz The AI spammers are coming
Errin Haines Journalists on the campaign trail mend trust with the public
Alexandra Svokos Working harder to reach audiences where they are
Christoph Mergerson The rot at the core of the news business
Nicholas Diakopoulos Journalists productively harness generative AI tools
Peter Bale Rising costs force more digital innovation
Juleyka Lantigua Newsrooms recognize women of color as the canaries in the coal mine