Action over analysis

They say that defining the problem is the key to finding the solution. Much work for many years has gone into articulating the many problems confronting journalism and the media. These problems include:

• A lack of trust in news media to be unbiased and to help people live informed and fulfilling lives.
• The increase in receiving and sharing information from sources that spread misinfo, lies and hate.
• The challenges (and some opportunities) with AI.
• News fatigue.
• The spread of news deserts, correlating to a decline in civic engagement and a rise in isolation and polarization.

Not to mention the recent election that has provided a fresh list of concerns about journalists as, at best, out of touch…or at worst, enemies to be targeted.

There’s been a lot of insightful examination of these very real problems in Nieman Lab plus many other news sources, at think tanks, and in classrooms, conference rooms and beyond. But with all this problem defining, are we getting closer to solutions?

We’ve overindexed on problem articulation, to the point of problem admiring. The risk is that we are analyzing ourselves into inaction and irrelevance, all while we continue the search for sustainable business models. All that worrying and scurrying takes time away from focusing on tangible improvements to the processes and products that benefit the people we are supposed to be serving.

I predict that in 2025, many news organizations will move into a little less talk and a little more action. Now is the time to find a better balance between exploring the things that are/will/could go wrong versus moving into action mode.

What does action mode look like? The specifics will depend on the organization — what it aims to do, for whom, and the capabilities available. There’s no one-size-fits-all, no single right approach to linear or digital distribution, no single perfect business model, no one magic writing style or length, no (re)pivot to video that will work for everyone.

But there are some good habits. Broadly, an action-oriented approach includes:

• cross-functional teams getting together to pitch and try new ideas in line with stated goals, from the low-hanging fruit to the boldly ambitious, backed by good project management to get improvements smoothly out the door.
• better understanding of audiences through actual human conversation, inviting and listening to feedback, and ethical uses of analytics, with focused monitoring of experiments.
• more time spent sharing notes with comparative organizations. As the newish leader of Hawaiʻi Public Radio, I’ve found that one of the best things about public media is that you can call counterparts in any market and have a wide open exchange about lessons learned and success stories.

Here are some actions we are working on at Hawaiʻi Public Radio that could be applicable to others, most especially in the local and/or public media space:

• The creation and sharing of news and information must be a two-way process. There are so many ways to make this tangible, from call-in shows to inviting comment on specific topics via email and voice mail, to newsletters that invite interaction (we have a steady stream of subscribers to our “Akamai Recap” newsletter who submit photos to us of their Hawai’i — a small act of connection and sharing that begets more connection and sharing).

  Many people in media stopped approaching the job as a one-way act of pushing out content to the masses a long time ago. But there is still work to be done to be better connected and to truly listen. Questions that lead to positive actions include: What does it look like to be embedded with communities long before a story is assigned or reporting is in motion? How can we better listen and respond during the distribution process on air and online? How can we make the act of broadcasting and publishing a story not the end of a process, but the beginning of a conversation?

• Lean into what makes you truly distinctive. Climate and nature is rightly a common and broad beat these days. And here in Hawaiʻi — the extinction capital of the world, and where the deadliest fires in the U.S. in a century blew through Maui in the summer of 2023 — we have a mandate to focus on biodiversity, land use, and indigenous knowledge. Similarly, affordability and economic opportunity is a big beat with a specific meaning in a place with markets where median home prices top $1 million, where grocery prices are among the highest in the nation, and where more Hawaiians now live outside of Hawaiʻi than in it.

  Where we sit on the planet is distinctive, at the center of the Pacific, a region of great geopolitical importance, on the front lines for trade, technology, rising seas, military, and diplomatic tensions, and with rich histories and cultural traditions. Every news organization has a handful of things it can excel at by nature of its mission, population, geography, and history. Define that, and then act on it.

  At Hawaiʻi Public Radio, like many public media organizations, we don’t just inform people through journalism. We inspire people through the power of music and the arts. Is music journalism? No. Is it still a vital, essential act of creativity that brings people together across genres and generations, sparking joy and wonder at what humans can do? Absolutely. And, music is storytelling.

• Trust is a ground game. It’s earned on a personal and familiar level. It’s harder to trust people you don’t know. I believe the power to grow trust is immense with local media, far greater than in national or global media.

  That’s why getting out of our buildings and into conversation with people and communities is more important than ever. A very good action for journalists and all staff is to be more visible and present in more places, to show curiosity and interest, to get to know more of the people we seek to serve. This isn’t about source or story development — it’s about human connection and being rooted in place.