When Trump won in 2016, those in journalism circles wrung their hands. How had the media missed it?
The field settled on an explanation: America’s elite newsrooms had overlooked middle America and neglected rural areas. Journalists misunderstood the zeitgeist.
Listening became the new mantra. Employ journalists living in the heartland. Spend time in flyover country. Fund rural startups.
This time around, something different is in the air. Instead of calling for journalists to listen to the public, journalists are asking: Why didn’t America listen to us?
Platforms deprioritized news, the public avoided it, and partisan influencers captivated people’s attention. Good journalism was out there. But it didn’t reach the public.
2025’s solution isn’t a 2016 “journalism needs to listen to the public” or a 2024 “the public needs to listen to journalism.” Listening is all well and good, but it doesn’t amount to much if you don’t change what you’re doing as a result. You have to motivate people to listen.
To meet the moment, journalism needs to meet people where they are. Newsrooms need to consider why people aren’t listening and then alter their behavior. They can take a page from what we know about why people don’t listen to each other. If you ask ChatGPT “Why don’t people listen to me?” the responses offer a starting point: (1) tone or delivery, (2) lack of clarity, (3) not being concise, (4) lack of rapport, (5) people don’t see value. Newsrooms could have brainstorming sessions — with their audiences — to understand how to tackle issues like these.
In looking toward the year ahead, I predict that 2025 will reward newsrooms that act, as opposed to merely listen.
Natalie (Talia) Jomini Stroud is a professor in the Department of Communication Studies and the School of Journalism at the University of Texas.
