Leadership predictions 2026 2026 will be the year newsrooms finally confront their ‘fear factor’ Research shows fear is reshaping innovation, independence and crisis reporting. Next year, journalism’s biggest challenge may be managing the emotions driving its decisions, writes François Nel By François Nel • 2 min read
News "Overserve the fans" will be a winning strategy "When Taylor Swift appraised her Eras tour, she could also have been describing The Economist’s audience-building strategy for 2025" By Kevin Young • 2 min read
Credit: Mark Hakansson / Marten Publishing News AI-generated podcasts cause a punk rebellion "Whilst celebrities chat amongst themselves in expensive studios, normies will find unique locations out and about in the real world" By Dan McLaughlin • 2 min read
Credit: Mark Hakansson / Marten Publishing News AI will own the demand for news content "Just like Facebook became the front door for news around ten years ago, I think next year is when the shift will happen to AI services." By Joshi Herrmann • 2 min read
News 'Flash teams' will fuel newsroom innovation "They form around a challenge and disband once the problem is solved" By Khalil A. Cassimally • 2 min read
News Some very radical collaborations are on the table "What’s the point of journalism if it doesn’t reach the communities it’s meant to serve?" By Rozina Breen • 2 min read
News Platform power will be put to the test "Smaller, youth-led newsrooms will become increasingly important because they already know how to operate inside platform constraints" By Kassy Cho • 2 min read
News Time will be your greatest asset "We can’t outrun disruption. But we can choose to spend our time intentionally" By Corinne Podger • 2 min read
News Humanity will take centre stage "Stories, visuals, events, products and services will be powered and crafted by humans for humans" By Niketa Patel • 1 min read
News Watch out for more of the Trump effect "It’s time for everyone - politicians, certainly, but also every one of us – to wake up to the threat to reliable information" By Fiona O'Brien • 2 min read
Credit: Mark Hakansson / Marten Publishing News Journalists choose independence over churnalism "2026 will be defined by trust, transparency and the rise of independent, personality-driven video content creators with newsroom experience and the very best journalism skills" By Daniel Jae Webb • 2 min read
Credit: London Centric / Jennifer Forward-Hayter News Hunker down to survive the influencer-led news apocalypse "Next year will expose the gaping void between what the British journalism industry produces and what mass audiences are actually consuming" By Jim Waterson • 2 min read
