Newsrooms in 2020 should be diverse, opened up to audiences and have a clear mission to do great journalism that matters, according to Dr Alexandra Borchardt of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. For her, that entails “setting the agenda, not chasing it.” The most important skill though, is “being able to ask the right questions, not only as journalists but also as managers: What are we doing, and is it still the right thing to do in a changing environment?” Ms. Borchardt stated this in an interview with WAN-IFRA.

The key, according to Ms Borchardt, is that “newsroom leaders also need to focus more and send a clear message to their staff: Don’t do everything, but do important things really well.” She says that workers in the newsroom should focus on what they’re good at and collaborate with their colleagues where they need it. Additionally, “editors and managers need great people skills to make everyone feel valued and their needs acknowledged.”

Dr. Borchardt is optimistic about the future: “As long as a newsroom can deal with cultural change, it is alive. So let’s hope there is no end in sight but a rewarding future on the horizon.”

Read the whole article on WAN-IFRA here.