Redefining the newsroom value proposition in an AI era
Thu 16 April 2026
15:00
Free
Calculating distance...
As artificial intelligence reshapes how information is produced and consumed, newsrooms face a core question: what is our value proposition now? When content is abundant and increasingly automated, clarity about what journalism uniquely offers is essential to sustaining trust, attention, and revenue.
This session introduces a practical, participatory framework for redefining newsroom value propositions in an AI era. Drawing on News Revenue Hub’s work with hundreds of independent newsrooms, it focuses on how AI accelerates the need for sharper audience focus, clearer editorial priorities, and stronger alignment between mission and strategy.
Rather than focusing on tools, the session centers on strategic thinking. Participants will reflect on their own organizations and work through an exercise they can take back to clarify who they serve, what problems they solve, and how to clearly articulate their value.
Designed for an international audience, this session blends discussion with structured participation, offering a repeatable framework newsrooms can use to guide strategy and remain relevant and trusted in a rapidly changing information ecosystem.
Moderated by Mary Walter-Brown.
Sponsored by News Revenue Hub.
Modified more than a month ago
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Nicole Carroll
Nicole Carroll is executive director of NEWSWELL and a professor of practice at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. She is an alumna of the Cronkite School and an inductee to its Hall of Fame. Carroll has more than three decades of journalism experience and a track record of success in leading newsrooms. As top editor of The Arizona Republic, where she spent almost 20 years, Carroll led a project on the proposed U.S. border wall that won a 2018 Pulitzer Prize. She also led breaking news coverage recognized as Pulitzer Prize finalists in 2012 and 2014. Carroll was named editor-in-chief of USA Today in 2018. That same year, she was named the Benjamin C. Bradlee Editor of the Year by the National Press Foundation. After serving as top editor at USA TODAY for five years, Carroll joined ASU Media Enterprise to establish NEWSWELL and help transform local news. Carroll is a member of the Pulitzer Prize board and hosts its Pulitzer on the Road podcast. She earned her master’s degree from Georgetown University in 1996 and her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Arizona State University in 1991.
Bill Emkow
Bill Emkow is Growth Strategy Director at Bridge Michigan and Bridge Detroit, nonprofit newsrooms published by The Center for Michigan. His work focuses on how news organizations define, articulate, and operationalize their value — to audiences, funders, and communities — at a moment of rapid technological and cultural change. At Bridge Michigan, Bill has helped build audience-first revenue systems centered on newsletters, loyalty, and reader support. His tactics led to more than a 1,500% increase in website audience and nearly a fivefold increase in reader revenue. His approach emphasizes clarity of mission, repeatable frameworks, and cultural alignment over one-off growth tactics. Bill has served as a consultant, speaker, and coach for Meta’s Journalism Accelerator programs and is currently participating in News Revenue Hub’s Civic Studio work, exploring how emerging formats and AI-assisted tools can support relevance, sustainability, and public service journalism. He previously held senior digital leadership roles at the Detroit Free Press, MLive.com, and WXYZ-TV.
Abbey Gingras
Abbey Gingras is a lifelong journalist who is passionate about building a better and brighter future for the journalism industry. She began her career in local news doing reporting and fact checking before becoming an audience editor at a national publication. Those experiences led her to seek out opportunities to make a larger impact on the field and to help it sustain into the future, which is how she came to her current role at News Revenue Hub,. Today, she works with dozens of media companies of all shapes and sizes, helping them grow their audiences and revenue by building relationships, strengthening trust, and doubling down on work that readers value. She's based in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the United States.
Jordan LaFlure
As Executive Editor of The Onion, Jordan LaFlure spends much of his time claiming credit for the work of the world's finest editorial staff. He began his career in newspapers as a page designer in order to fulfill his lifelong dream of being laid off in his early 20s. After a brief stint in the thrilling, cutthroat world of medical journal layout, LaFlure was able to talk his way into a position at The Onion in 2011. His regrets are few but trending upward.
Mary Walter-Brown
Mary Walter-Brown is the founder and CEO of the News Revenue Hub, a mission-driven media firm that helps news organizations successfully develop and manage membership programs. Formerly the publisher and COO at Voice of San Diego, Mary is a trailblazer in the nonprofit news sector leading the charge for news outlets to build diverse and sustainable revenue through audience engagement and relationship building. Working with dozens of news organizations around the United States, including The Intercept, The Center for Public Integrity and Politifact, the News Revenue Hub provides a collaborative environment where digital news innovators can experiment, solve problems and trade best practices. Mary is a 2016 graduate of the Punch Sulzberger executive leadership fellowship at Columbia University. She lives in San Diego with her husband and two children.