Alan Soon, Co-founder of Singapore-based Splice Media: What Do We Get Out of Good Journalism and Why Should We Pay for It?

2024-12-20

If journalism is valuable, as many of us think, why don't people pay for it? That's the question Alan returned to several times during our conversation. And he actually gave the answer, an existential answer to this question. What's the purpose of your newsroom? Why do you exist as a media organisation? What audience needs do you serve? If you are able to answer these questions honestly without any corporate fluff, you come closer to answering the money question: why should people pay for your content? 'We have gone past peak content', Alan says. Nobody wakes up in the morning wanting more content - people want to get stuff done, they want a sense of community, they want to learn something new, they want...

What's the purpose of your newsroom? Why do you exist as a media organisation? What audience needs do you serve? If you are able to answer these questions honestly without any corporate fluff, you come closer to answering the money question: why should people pay for your content?

'We have gone past peak content', Alan says. Nobody wakes up in the morning wanting more content - people want to get stuff done, they want a sense of community, they want to learn something new, they want to have fun etc. The problem is, as Alan points out, that many newsrooms still operate as if people wake up wanting more content for the sake of content. Wake up!

Main Topics We Discussed in This Episode:

How AI Enables Media Solopreneurs
Supply versus Demand Side Thinking: How Does It Work in Journalism?
How to Use AI to Get a Deeper Understanding of What Audiences Want
No One Wakes Up in the Morning Wanting More Content - Why Do We Create So Much of It Then?
What Is a Better Use of AI-powered Tools, Apart from Creating Content?
How to Stand Out in a Crowded Content Market Wherever You Are
We All Pay for Stuff and Services, Why Not for News?
"What People Buy Is Very Different from What People Get, or What People Want"
Creativity versus Recycling Old Narratives
AI and the Nature of Originality
How to Measure AI Impact on Revenue Generation, Audience Engagement and Credibility
Where Does Obsession with Optimising Everything Lead Us?
AI as a Co-thinker and Co-founder of Your Potential Start-up
Lifehack from Alan on Using AI in the Context of Storytelling
On the Future of Journalism