Successful newsrooms will act more like consultancies than content factories

"As AI takes over routine tasks, journalists will shift from producing stories to diagnosing what communities actually need. The core value of the newsroom becomes interpretation, clarity, and emotional intelligence - not volume. In an AI world, the differentiator is journalists who realize that the scent of the human is already one of the most precious gifts they can offer their readers."

"Editors, designers, and product thinkers will operate like consulting teams: listening deeply, defining the audience's problem, and co-creating the best format for solving it - whether that's a vertical explainer, a 60-second clarity video, a WhatsApp Q&A, a TikTok clip, or a longform narrative. This evolution brings back the spirit of WED (writing-editing-design), but with a new layer: WED+C - writing, editing, design, and consulting."

AI will handle routine reporting tasks, prompting journalists to move from production to diagnosis of community needs. Newsroom value will center on interpretation, clarity, and emotional intelligence rather than output volume. The uniquely human elements of curiosity, personal intentionality, and emotional depth will distinguish journalism from data-driven AI. Editorial teams will function like consultants—listening, defining problems, and co-creating formats tailored to audiences across platforms. The WED model evolves into WED+C, adding consulting to writing, editing, and design. Newsrooms that embrace empathy, diagnostics, and co-creation will build deeper trust and more useful, person-to-person journalism.

Read at Nieman Lab