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Cracking the media management puzzle through insights, solutions and data. ▪️Website — http://thefix.media ▪️Newsletter— http://bit.ly/2Tsr0M9 Reach out: @thefixmediabot
The Gisèle Pelicot trial in France has shaped how news media report on sexual violence. Romain Chauvet looks at the lessons news leaders can take away in the latest article for The Fix.
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✌️ Good evening! Here is the recap of the stories we published this month:
▪️ Meta’s fact-checking shutdown sparks fears of disinfo crisis in Balkans
▪️ “It’s a shock” – end of US aid threatens future of independent media outlets in Balkans and Eastern Europe
▪️ How a Roma news agency relies on YouTube to hope to survive in Hungary
▪️ Trump’s chaos – early winners & losers in media
▪️ Can solutions journalism in local media be the solution to news fatigue in Spain?
▪️ 30 top European news publishers on TikTok in 2025
▪️ How Internazionale defies the decline of Italian print media
▪️ How AI avatars help inform Venezuelans and resist censorship
▪️ Three years of war: five reflections from our coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
▪️ “Fight before it is too late”: arrest of Georgian journalist signals media crackdown
▪️ 24,000 new subscribers in two weeks – Denník N's wildly successful anniversary campaign
Slovak newspaper Denník N smashed its 6-week subscription goal in just 4 days. We spoke with Chief Digital Officer Tomáš Bella about how they turned mission-driven journalism into 24,000+ new subscribers.
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US funding freeze leaves Balkan independent media vulnerable to smear campaigns and political pressure. Serbia's journalists face the brunt of attacks. Read our deep dive into the region's press freedom crisis.
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The future of journalism is undeniably visual. As social media shapes how audiences consume news, visual journalism becomes increasingly vital in cutting through the clutter and engaging audiences effectively.
◼ According to BBC World Wide News investigative and data journalist Lazar Čovs, social media platforms have redefined storytelling. "Younger generations don't want to click through to a website anymore," he notes, pushing newsrooms to produce platform-specific content.
◼ "If you think of the digital space, social media is the boulevard and our website is like a back alley. We're trying to lure people into the alley with candies, saying, 'Come with me!'—but they're not going to do it. They'll stay on the boulevard, surrounded by bright lights and ads."
◼ The Instagram carousel format has emerged as one of the most effective tools. "If you want to create a timeline or tell a linear story, the carousel can be a perfect format. It's natural for people to scroll left to right," Čovs explains.
◼ Similarly, TikTok’s rise as a dominant platform requires news outlets to create short, visually engaging videos that can convey key information in seconds.
◼ Scrollytelling has become particularly relevant for younger audiences who consume content by scrolling on their phones. "For them, scrollytelling feels completely natural," Čovs observes. "They scroll, and something keeps happening—that's how the story unfolds."
◼ A skilled storyteller or online producer, according to Čovs, must understand this dynamic and tailor the experience accordingly. “Knowing the semiotics of interfaces—where people are likely to look, click, or tap—is crucial,” he advises.
◼ Today's tools make scrollytelling more accessible than ever. With just a one-day workshop, he argues, journalists can learn to create simple but effective charts or graphs to accompany their stories.
◼ When it comes to ensuring that visuals are readable and effective, Čovs has a straightforward method: showing to one of two people in your newsroom with the least digital literacy. If they understand the visual, where to click, and how to interpret the information, it’s likely clear enough for the broader audience.
📍 Learn more about social media’s impact on storytelling in the full article.
How can a magazine curating foreign press in Italian survive in the age of internet and AI-powered translation? Alessandro Pilo discussed this with Internazionale’s director and founder Giovanni De Mauro.
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They were everywhere just a few years ago – at the subway exits, street corners, or even at the office. The most popular ones were probably 20 Minutes and Metro. However, this period of democratisation of access to news is over. In recent years, many free print newspapers have died across Europe.
◼ In France, the last free newspaper, 20 Minutes, stopped its printed edition this summer and laid off a third of its digital workforce. In the UK, The London Evening Standard printed its final paper last month ahead of a move to weekly-only editions. The British paper's daily circulation has dropped from 850,000 to 275,000 in the past five years, losing £84.5m over the past six years.
◼ In Switzerland, the free-printed newspaper 20 Minuten tries to resist. According to figures provided by the company, 20 Minuten reaches over 2 million daily readers, online and in print, across Switzerland.
◼ “There is no European country where newspapers are a profitable economic sector,” said Roberta Carlini, part-time assistant professor at the European University Institute. “The crisis is of course deeper in some countries, but the trend of decline is everywhere in Europe. The business model of the newspaper, and particularly for free newspapers, has been disrupted by the digital evolution.”
◼ The model was simple at the beginning. Free newspapers relied on advertising revenue instead of sales. The costs of producing information and printing were assumed by the media, thanks to the advertisers. But it simply doesn't work anymore with digitalisation.
◼ “The situation was different before. The newspaper, including free ones, didn't need revenue from the readers, because the advertising was so high. But with the personalisation of advertising, advertisers are going more and more digital, considering that the services online offered by the platform are much more efficient,” said Carlini.
◼ Many newspapers have changed their model and have opted for paywalls in recent years. However, for free newspapers, this is simply impossible. “The free press was born on the idea of being free and couldn't count on the second pillar of revenue, from the readers. Now it's too late, they cannot change their strategy,” notes Carlini.
📍 Learn more about the fate of free newspapers in the full article.
🇪🇸 As news deserts spread globally, Spanish local media are looking for a way to stay relevant: solutions journalism. The approach is rebuilding trust – and changing how stories are told, Romain Chauvet writes in his latest article for The Fix.
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Our analysis of media winners and losers in Trump’s shakeup: foreign aid freeze devastates independent media abroad, some outlets see a second Trump bump.
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For over a decade, Predrag Blagojevic advanced investigative journalism in Serbia, a country where press freedom was increasingly under threat. During our recent interview, he reflected on his career.
◼ Now based in Vancouver, Blagojevic advises media outlets as a Media Development and Community Engagement Advisor for IREX. His journey – from founding and building Južne vesti from the ground up to eventually leaving his homeland – sheds light on the hurdles facing independent media in Serbia and beyond.
◼ Južne vesti was born in 2009 out of Blagojevic's frustration with the state of journalism in Serbia. "I had a very good story about corruption at the Nis International Airport," Blagojevic recalls. "My editor told me, sorry, we cannot run this." After being turned down by several national outlets, Blagojevic decided to create his own platform.
◼ Starting with just two web developers and himself as the sole journalist, Južne vesti began as a fresh project focused on southern Serbia. Their mission was clear: to cover local issues and uncover corruption. However, with increased prominence came increased scrutiny.
◼ Despite mounting pressure from government officials and online harassment, Južne vesti's innovative approach to sustainability set them apart. Alongside traditional grant funding, they developed a sister company, Simplicity, focusing on web development. This commercial venture provided additional income, and also allowed them to create and sell content management systems tailored for media outlets.
◼ However, the constant pressure took its toll. Blagojevic's mental health suffered, and the threats extended to his family. His wife, a university professor, faced pressure at work due to his journalism. The final straw came when Blagojevic and his top executives were threatened with arrest on dubious charges.
◼ In 2018, Blagojevic made the difficult decision to leave Serbia and step back from active involvement in Južne vesti. "I don't consider that to be a win," he reflects on their legal victories against government charges, which cleared them of all the allegations. "We won, but what was the cost?"
◼ Drawing from his experience, Blagojevic offers measured advice to aspiring media founders, especially those working in challenging environments. His initial reaction when asked for advice for people interested in launching a media outlet is cautionary: "Don't do it. It's not worth your health." However, he follows this with a more nuanced perspective.
◼ Blagojevic shares a metaphor he once used at a conference in Sarajevo. He asked organisers to turn off all the lights in a large hall, leaving only the tiny LED on his phone visible. "Even though it's a tiny LED, when it's completely dark, even this tiny light is visible from all around the room," he explains. This, he argues, is the role of independent media in oppressive environments: "In the times of complete darkness in a country, even the smallest tiny light can be seen from anywhere."
📍 Learn more about Blagojevic’s path from running an outlet in Serbia to advising at IREX in the full article.
The audio version of our article "How to audit your newsroom for audience listening" is now available on our YouTube channel. Perfect for your commute or multitasking moments. Listen to it here.
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Independent publishers across Central & Eastern Europe face a crisis as USAID suddenly halted funding after Donald Trump returned to the White House, with Ukraine's wartime media particularly impacted.
While some emergency help arrives (with The Kyiv Independent alone raising €60,000 for regional outlets), it's a wake-up call: Media must build sustainable models beyond grants. However, what works in Stockholm or New York City won't always succeed in Kyiv.
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Donald Trump's foreign aid freeze hits CEE media hard. Independent outlets in Ukraine, Hungary, and Poland face uncertainty as the United States halts assistance. Here is our analysis of what’s at stake and how newsrooms are responding.
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Diversifying revenue is on top of media leaders’ minds. As the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism’s 2025 trends report notes, “[t]he majority [of media organisations surveyed] are now relying on three or four different revenue streams, including events (48%), affiliate revenue (29%), donations (19%), and related businesses (15%)” in addition to reader revenue and advertising.
Apart from programmatic advertising predicated on traffic – an increasingly unsustainable model – most paths to monetisation require a strong brand, something, among others, The Kyiv Independent has focused on through its recent venture into merchandising.
📍 Read our newsletter in full for industry news, story recommendations, and fresh opportunities.
📍 Sign up to get the latest media-related news in your mailbox every Monday!
✌️ Good evening! Here is the recap of the stories we published this week:
👻 The ghost article issue;
🛍 The Kyiv Independent's online store.
Denník N’s record-breaking subscription campaign surpassed its 10,000 goal in 4 days, hitting over 24,000 subscribers! A mix of flexible pricing (even 0€ 10-week trials) and a bold pitch to “help democracy” drove this success. Their “10 promises to Slovakia” included free archive access, expanding video teams, and free subscriptions for young voters. Have a look at our interview with Denník N’s CDO Tomas Bella for details.
📰 Also in this week's newsletter: Updates on Georgia’s press freedom crisis, Balkan media under pressure, USAID funding shifts, and industry news & opportunities.
📍 Read our newsletter in full for industry news, story recommendations, and fresh opportunities.
📍 Sign up to get the latest media-related news in your mailbox every Monday!
Since the advent of AI, major outlets have integrated it into their newsroom workflow. From Sports Illustrated's AI-generated fitness news to Yle's AI translations of Finnish news into Ukrainian, AI has entered newsrooms, yet many journalists don't fully understand its capabilities.
◾ A study of various professionals in Denmark found journalists were the second highest adopters of AI, with 64% using it in some capacity, despite the “black box problem” where many lack skills to discern how AI tools work.
◾ The Fix has compiled three key findings that offer valuable insights from the latest research, along with practical ways news outlets are putting these strategies into action.
◾ Research from the Fontys Academy of Journalism reveals journalists in regional Dutch newsrooms are uncertain about their ability to deal with AI, hindering their use of available resources. AI illiteracy also hampers journalists' ability to communicate needs to IT professionals.
◾ Researchers from the University of Zurich found that while most audiences resist paying for AI-generated news, younger and less educated individuals view AI more positively and are willing to consume and pay for AI-generated content.
◾ This is evident in The Economist’s Espresso app which is designed for younger readers. Last month, they launched an in-app translation feature powered by AI to reach a wider audience speaking Mandarin, Spanish, French and German.
◾ Interestingly, some studies from FHWien der WKW, Austria found that AI usage in news is sometimes seen as more trustworthy than human-made news, with participants reasoning that while journalists may carry bias, AI remains impartial.
◾ This is evident in practical applications: Argentinian local news outlet Diario Huarpe uses automation to produce multiple sports stories despite having only one weekend reporter, while ESPN employs AI analytics to enhance viewing experiences with real-time analyses.
◾ Research from Germany's University of Mainz shows that acceptance of news recommender systems for diverse viewpoints is higher only amongst those who already consume diverse news, suggesting publishers should focus on content personalisation.
◾ Norway's Adresseavisen successfully used AI to personalise their homepage, finding the best results when suggesting next reads at the bottom of articles. The Times' AI tool JAMES helped reduce subscriber churn by 50% through newsletter personalisation.
◾ A common thread in this research emphasises that complete automation isn't currently possible – human oversight remains essential. A human in the loop should be the norm to eliminate major problems. AI is for people, not a way to get on without them.
📍 Find more insights in the full article.
Georgian journalist Mzia Amaglobeli’s arrest and 38-day hunger strike have become a pivotal moment for protests and press freedom in the country, Irina Matchavariani writes for The Fix. As she fights back amid global calls for her release, one question looms: Can free press survive in Georgia?
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February 24 changed everything for Ukraine and Ukrainian media. Three years later, these are our reflections on three years of war coverage from Ukraine.
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How do you deliver news when journalists are being arrested? Venezuelan media found an ingenious solution: AI presenters who can't be intimidated, Romain Chauvet writes in his latest article for The Fix.
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How are Europe’s leading newsrooms adapting to TikTok in 2025? While many publishers initially approached the platform tentatively, we’re now seeing a fascinating evolution in how serious news organizations engage with what was once dismissed as just a music app.
The Fix’s latest analysis of the top 30 European news publishers on TikTok shows interesting insights about the platform’s maturation.
One finding – the ratio between hard news and entertainment news outlets is almost 50:50. “While we in newsrooms have long recognised TikTok’s potential beyond dances and entertainment, 2025 will emphasize this further. Growth will be significantly driven by coverage of climate change, politics, and global news – areas where audiences are looking for credible information,” Deutsche Welle’s Erika Marzano comments.
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Our annual ranking of leading European news publishers on TikTok is out. Let’s look through 2025 leaders and analyse what works for newsrooms on TikTok this year.
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Despite chaos brought by the Trump administration, the market is also rewarding (mostly American) traditional news publishers doing great work in covering the new administration. Wired and The Atlantic have both been praised for their recent reporting. Besides, hyper niche outlets focused on federal bureaucracy are seeing their fifteen minutes of fame.
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Facing Hungary’s media crackdown and frozen U.S. aid, the Roma Press Center—the sole news agency amplifying Roma voices since 1995—is turning to YouTube to survive. With their channel RomaPlay reaching 12 million views in just four months, they continue battling stereotypes. Romain Chauvet spoke to editor-in-chief Ernő Kadét.
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We spoke to three independent media outlets in Ukraine, Moldova, and North Macedonia to see the impacts of the end of USAID programs and how they are trying to fill the gap.
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Balkan media watchdogs fear Meta's retreat from fact-checking could open floodgates to unchecked disinformation. €200k annual funding for regional fact-checkers hangs in balance as well, Dusica Tomovic writes in her article for The Fix.
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Travelling the world and writing about your experiences sounds like the dream for many aspiring journalists. But there's much more to writing a travel piece than jet-setting to far-flung locations and stringing sentences together.
Last year, we spoke with travel journalist Anna Richards, who quit her job at Audley Travel, a tour operator, to commit to travel writing full-time three years ago. Since then, she has published her writings in Lonely Planet, BBC, The Guardian, The Independent and more. She is now based in Lyon, France, and exclusively focuses on France in her writings.
◾️ Each week looks different from the last, Richards says. "You never know when editors are going to come back to you to accept a pitch or to commission stories or to give you some badly timed edits." Her way of dealing with this is by working strictly during traditional work hours.
◾️ Unlike many travel journalists, Richards has made it a point to travel more slowly and sustainably. Her job in a travel company made her confront the dangers of aeroplane travel. "It's incredibly frustrating because the onus is being put on the consumer to travel green rather than make any systemic change. With this awareness, I thought to drastically cut back my amount of travel."
◾️ In terms of advice, Richards recommends starting to write about places you are familiar with. "A lot of my first pieces were about Cornwall, which is where I grew up." Not only would it be easy to write about familiar places, but it would also add authenticity to the article.
◾️ Just like any other writing, finding a niche helps better your credibility with media houses. It helps you get recognised over other travel writers. In Richards's case, she exclusively writes about France.
◾️ Richards started her travel writing journey part-time before she decided to go full-time. She advises others to do the same. "Start with it as a side hustle. Once you know it works and you've got money coming, only then jump into it full-time."
◾️ Travel journalists get inundated with PR offers, such as free hotel stays. Richards believes accepting them is not necessarily bad, but journalists have an ethical obligation to declare the PR deal in the article.
◾️ Ethics is what separates travel journalists from social media travellers. The latter's content is often clickbaity and brief, sometimes leaving out important details. "Around the world, many places are suffering from over-tourism. This is because these places have really blown up on Instagram or other social media sites."
📍 Learn more about this role in the full article.
The Fix Media is expanding its reach and joining Bluesky! We're excited to connect with professionals and industry leaders on this platform too.
Follow us there for more interviews, industry news, and thought-provoking content.
🧠🌍 Can AI transform Africa's future? New media outlet Afrikia thinks so, covering everything from agricultural innovation in Kenya to data protection forums in Togo, Romain Chauvet writes in his latest article for The Fix.
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The Head of Paid Content is a managerial role in an outlet responsible for strategising, planning and coordinating readers' conversion into subscribers, as well as engagement and retention. This person works as a mediator between teams working on conversion, engagement, and retention, sets goals, conducts experiments, and collects data to report the results to higher management and to make decisions on further goals and plans.
◾️ In 2023, we spoke with Nick Tjaardstra, who joined Handelsblatt Media Group at the beginning of 2022 in the newly created role of Head of Paid Content. His task was to gather and organise two teams: one responsible for engaging and retaining existing subscribers and another working on paywall conversion. After our interview, in May 2024, Tjaardstra moved to KURIER Medienhaus as Head of Digital Sales.
◾️ “The team comes together for the project, but they all have different reporting lines. What's important for me is that we're setting goals agreed upon in all those departments. That means we have to work very closely with the Director of Marketing, the Head of Digital in the newsroom, all of the different teams that everybody has the same goals,” Nick Tjaardstra explained his work at Handelsblatt.
◾️ Tjaardstra didn't have a typical day in his role, though it was usual to have several meetings: regular team check-ins, discussions about specific brand performance etc. Additionally, he regularly met with different departments to have everybody on the same page.
◾️ Tjaardstra says that he was “a coordinator and sometimes a politician” at his job. He couldn't directly tell people what to do: “We have to say, okay, this is the goal. We want to increase the number of people that pay full price after a trial. So, how do we get there? Let's brainstorm what we could build together, brainstorm what the product could look like.”
◾️ Overall, Nick Tjaardstra was an active member of both teams in the first months of work in mid-2022. Afterwards, he focused more on improving the cooperation between teams and finding ways to define specific sales funnels for particular audiences.
◾️ Nick Tjaardstra said he most enjoyed the speed of work. He liked the diversity of the two teams he organised and the opportunity to test ideas rapidly. “You can, in a two-week sprint, basically build a whole test, a new functionality. And just to see how the people work together daily and support each other, I think that's what I find the most fun,” Tjaardstra said.
◾️ The most challenging thing, however, is that there was no guidebook. Tjaardstra explained that he couldn't simply take best practices from another organisation like the Financial Times but had to develop a specific case.
📍 Learn more about this role and what it entails in the full article.