Nieman Lab.
Predictions for
Journalism, 2024.
In no particular order, here is a cornucopia of predictions for 2024.
As in every election year in recent memory, 2024 will improve the market for political news. Audience trend charts look like Charlie Brown’s sweater pattern — up and down and up again, every four years. By now, the savviest news organizations have figured out how to monetize the hardcore enthusiasts for political news. Few will find the sweet spot of clear-eyed reporting that recognizes the seriousness of the moment, while also avoiding histrionics.
Speaking of politics, there will be surprises this coming year — probably a few seismic ones. National media and their sources have still not fully grasped the unpredictability of the realignment taking place. We’ll see reporters continue to expect more of horserace polling than it can offer. The trouble is that political polling has been at times both highly accurate and wildly off the mark in the past eight years. After November, we’ll finally have a real sense of clarity about what 21st-century political polling can and can’t offer.
On the industry side of things, I think 2024 is the year that a legacy media company cracks the code on streaming news as a viable way forward in the late-broadcast era, with Mark Thompson now at the helm at CNN. (Okay, maybe in 2025.)
Locally, one overlooked aspect of the broadcast world may finally get its due attention this next year: public, educational, and government access TV stations (also known as PEG or public-access stations). These local channels serve as many as 3,000 communities around the United States, and could make for excellent infrastructure partners to the growing civic information movement pioneered by organizations like Documenters. (Disclosure: I sit on the board of one of these stations in my town.) Their funding — which comes mostly through cable fees — is under threat, so this election year would be a great time for communities, newsrooms, and advocates to take advantage of this community media resource.
A final prediction: So much attention has (rightly) focused on local news gaps in recent years. But I think 2024 is a year when some of that attention — by funders, experts, industry leaders — will turn to the states. Policy advocates may find that state-level journalism bills can gain more traction than they will anytime soon in Washington. And more Americans are waking up to the fact that state legislative actions have significant impact on their lives. This year will present a prime opportunity to think big and perhaps execute on statehouse newsroom startups, shoring up existing operations, or creating and expanding state-wide journalism networks.
Jesse Holcomb is an assistant professor of journalism and communication at Calvin University.
In no particular order, here is a cornucopia of predictions for 2024.
As in every election year in recent memory, 2024 will improve the market for political news. Audience trend charts look like Charlie Brown’s sweater pattern — up and down and up again, every four years. By now, the savviest news organizations have figured out how to monetize the hardcore enthusiasts for political news. Few will find the sweet spot of clear-eyed reporting that recognizes the seriousness of the moment, while also avoiding histrionics.
Speaking of politics, there will be surprises this coming year — probably a few seismic ones. National media and their sources have still not fully grasped the unpredictability of the realignment taking place. We’ll see reporters continue to expect more of horserace polling than it can offer. The trouble is that political polling has been at times both highly accurate and wildly off the mark in the past eight years. After November, we’ll finally have a real sense of clarity about what 21st-century political polling can and can’t offer.
On the industry side of things, I think 2024 is the year that a legacy media company cracks the code on streaming news as a viable way forward in the late-broadcast era, with Mark Thompson now at the helm at CNN. (Okay, maybe in 2025.)
Locally, one overlooked aspect of the broadcast world may finally get its due attention this next year: public, educational, and government access TV stations (also known as PEG or public-access stations). These local channels serve as many as 3,000 communities around the United States, and could make for excellent infrastructure partners to the growing civic information movement pioneered by organizations like Documenters. (Disclosure: I sit on the board of one of these stations in my town.) Their funding — which comes mostly through cable fees — is under threat, so this election year would be a great time for communities, newsrooms, and advocates to take advantage of this community media resource.
A final prediction: So much attention has (rightly) focused on local news gaps in recent years. But I think 2024 is a year when some of that attention — by funders, experts, industry leaders — will turn to the states. Policy advocates may find that state-level journalism bills can gain more traction than they will anytime soon in Washington. And more Americans are waking up to the fact that state legislative actions have significant impact on their lives. This year will present a prime opportunity to think big and perhaps execute on statehouse newsroom startups, shoring up existing operations, or creating and expanding state-wide journalism networks.
Jesse Holcomb is an assistant professor of journalism and communication at Calvin University.
