What defines the most effective media leaders today? WAN-Ifra’s new World News Media Congress Playbook distills key insights, proven strategies, and even hard-learned lessons from over 120 top news executives who spoke at the recent Congress in Krakow.
Packed with real-world examples, the result is a practical guide to how today’s media leaders are navigating a fast-changing, often turbulent landscape – and what it takes to succeed.
In addition to covering topics such as business models, AI and newsroom evolution, the Playbook also delves specifically into media leadership, revealing some of the key traits that today’s leading media figures share.
Below is a selection of these qualities, along with key quotes from the report.
1. They project optimism and confidence
The news industry may not be known for having a cheerful outlook, but many leaders say that excessive gloominess is actually counter-productive when it comes to succeeding and finding solutions. A sense of positivity (rooted in realism, of course) is needed.
- “Sometimes our industry can be really kind of mistake-focused. And you know what happens if you keep staring at the threat or the mistake? You’re going to go straight towards it.” ~ Christian Broughton, CEO of The Independent, UK.
- “Leadership requires optimism, and it requires inspiring people about some kind of future that you have in mind … If we want renewal, we need to be incredibly optimistic about it, and we need to lead people towards that.” ~ Joshi Hermann, Founder and Editor of Mill Media, UK.
2. They build organisational resilience
Rather than dwelling on the challenging market conditions – tough as those may be – successful leaders seek to build resilience within their companies. Examples of this include broadening revenue streams and building on existing strengths.
- “We built our strategy around resilience because I believe that in our unstable world, it’s probably one of the most important traits of media companies. And to me, resilience is not about surviving a crisis but advancing in a crisis – using it as an opportunity.” ~ Bartosz Hojka, CEO of Agora, Poland.
3. They are clear on the ‘why’ of the mission
Beyond KPI-measurable objectives, having a strong sense of a higher societal mission is deeply helpful in building momentum. It can also help define strategy and vision.
- “The organisations that will achieve success are those that are more strategic, where the organisation is more aligned and the newsroom is aligned and understands vision, mission. … Why does our journalism exist, and who are we doing this for?” ~ Styli Charalambous, Co-Founder and CEO of Daily Maverick, South Africa.
- “Our biggest bet remains on how we can remain trusted, relevant, and provide depth and context regardless of vertical platforms or tools. And it all comes back to impacting society in a positive way, every day.” ~ Monicah Ndung’u, Chief Corporate Affairs and Partnerships Officer of Nation Media Group, Kenya.
4. They cultivate a culture that withstands relentless change
Publishers are keenly aware of the constant pressure to adapt and innovate. The best leaders deal with this by communicating and offering direction, with authenticity, while nurturing an open environment.
- “[W]e also have to keep asking ourselves tough questions: Are we original enough? Are we producing a lot of commodity news, for example? Are we having those honest conversations in our newsrooms?” ~ Dmitry Shishkin, Strategic Editorial Advisor at Ringier International.
- “[D]riving cultural change while maintaining trust and stability in the newsroom has required thoughtful, consistent communication and a lot of listening.” ~ Xenia Daum, CEO of Kleine Zeitung, Austria.
- “In today’s environment you have to experiment, so it’s all about getting team members and journalists onboard to take on an interesting project. To show that ‘we did this and we learned this.’” ~ Lisa Irenius, Editor-in-Chief and CEO of Svenska Dagbladet, Sweden.
The full playbook report dives into all these areas – and more – including strategies from Le Monde, Die Zeit, The New York Times, FT, The Atlantic, and others.
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WAN-IFRA Members can download the report from our Knowledge Hub.
This story originally appeared in Strategy & Leadership, WAN-Ifra’s newsletter about the trends, insights and people shaping the future of news. To get stories like this in your inbox first, sign up here.
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