Confronting the decline in news consumption represents a global newsroom challenge. Around the world, despite having more sources of news than ever before, a significant number of people simply avoid the news: consumption of news is declining, interest in news is decreasing, and the amount of selective avoidance of the news is growing. Experts in audience behaviour and engagement will outline practical, research-backed strategies and tactics for meeting audiences where they are and engaging them in the news they need to know.
Panelists
Ruth Palmer, Associate Professor of Communication and Digital Media, IE University
Nic Newman, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University
Miko Nerviol, International People’s College
Moderator
Angela Pacienza, Executive Editor, The Globe and Mail
Ruth Palmer is Associate Professor of Communication and Digital Media at IE University in Madrid and Segovia, Spain. Her 2018 book Becoming the News: How Ordinary People Respond to the Media Spotlight (Columbia University Press) investigated how citizens navigate their interactions with journalists and experience being named in news stories. The book was a finalist for the Tankard Book Award given by the US Association for Educators in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC). Her new book, co-authored with Benjamin Toff and Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, Avoiding the News: Reluctant Audiences for Journalism (Columbia University Press, 2024), explores why and how some people detach from news altogether, and possible ways journalists might regain their interest. Her research exploring how non-journalists think about and relate to the news media has also appeared in the academic journals The International Journal of Communication, The International Journal of Press/Politics, Journalism, and Journalism Studies.
Nic Newman is a journalist and digital strategist who played a key role in shaping the BBC’s internet services over more than a decade. He was a founding member of the BBC News Website, leading international coverage as World Editor (1997-2001). As Head of Product Development for BBC News he helped introduce innovations such as blogs, podcasting and on-demand video. Most recently he led digital teams, developing websites, mobile and interactive TV applications for News, Sport, Weather and Local. He has played an important part in the development of social media strategies and guidelines for the wider BBC. Nic was a Visiting Fellow at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. He is married with three children and lives in London.
Miko Nerviol, a student from the Philippines, developed an interest in the media industry through his recent experience at the Global Youth News Lab. Alongside his peers from the International People’s College in Elsinore, Denmark, he presented an updated version of the Copenhagen News Criteria, tailored for Gen-Z, and discussed issues concerning news avoidance at the WAN-IFRA World News Conference 2024. He is currently in the process of applying to pursue higher education in the field of communications and media.
Guest Moderator Bio
Angela Pacienza is the Executive Editor at The Globe and Mail, where she’s responsible for delivering quality, audience-first journalism, as well as driving culture change to create a more nimble, inclusive and forward-thinking newsroom. Angela has oversight over programming and audience teams across all platforms, as well as the editing, podcast and visual departments. She’s passionate about closing the gap between storytelling and audience, as well as devising new approaches to digital, print and visual journalism. Angela is a graduate of the Online News Association’s Women’s Leadership Accelerator program (2018) and a mentor with Digital Women Leaders. She is co-vice chair of the board of directors for the Canadian Journalism Foundation and serves on the board of directors for the Online News Association.
