Futureproofing local news: Tools and trends that will shape the next decade

As part of a special four-part podcast series, supported by the Google News Initiative, we’ve been talking to publishers and experts across Europe who are working to find resilient business models. We spoke to them about the state of the local news market in their regions, how they’ve evolved company culture and practice, and what tools and trends they’re working with to prepare for the next decade.

What metrics should local news publishers be focusing on, and what new tech is out there to support growing businesses? Our fourth and final episode explores the tools, tech and trends – including AI – which organisations are using or looking to use in the future.

Experts featured in this episode:

• Jayne Savva, Group Features Editor (news), DC Thomson
• Emily Hewett, Head of Audience Development, DC Thomson
• Cheryl Livingstone, Special Projects Editor, DC Thomson
• Doug Smith – Lead architect, Table Stakes
• Pierre France, Co-Founder, Rue89 Strasbourg
• David Floyd, Managing Director, Social Spider
• Jonathan Heawood, Executive Director, Public Interest News Foundation
• Benedicte Autret, Head of News Partnerships, UK/IE/Northern Europe, Google
• Prof. Dr. Wiebke Möhring, Professor of Journalism, TU Dortmund Institute for Journalism

This series is supported by the Google News Initiative. They work with publishers and journalists to fight misinformation, share resources, and build a diverse and innovative local news system. Find out more about their programmes, tools and resources at newsinitiative.withgoogle.com