1. A list of 3-5 sources you used to prepare for the guest speaker

2. A list of 2-3 questions you generated for the speaker, based on the research you’ve done.

1. In the announcement of your promotion to Director of Audience & Analytics, the release said your position would entail "looking for new ways for [Rest of World] to boost returning readership on [their] site, and connect [with readership] off-platform..." In the 14 or so months since you've been on the job, what are some of the ways your team has worked toward that goal? Have their been any successes you're especially proud of?

2. Many of us are taking "Metrics and Outcomes" next semester - a class you've previously taught and, according to the course catalog, are teaching next semester. As we're getting ready for the class, what are some things we should be paying attention to and thinking about when we're reading/watching/listening to news in order to see it through a "metrics and outcomes" lens?

3. I saw on your website's "About" section you love going to New York Liberty games. As a season ticket holder myself - have to ask - do you think Sandy Brondello should have been fired?

Sources:

1. https://restofworld.org/inside/jane-seidel-promoted-to-director-audience-analytics/

2. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mmD2KxyY9fdSMnZm2R8BXi4wiZeydu2KgYR8nkpgKzE/edit?tab=t.0

3. https://www.janeseidel.com/about

1. You’re an expert when it comes to SEO – with Google’s new AI-generated summaries, how has your approach evolved? Is SEO still as important as it used to be, and how have these summaries influenced Rest of World’s overall SEO strategy?

2. Since your job deals so much with metrics and performance, how do you balance data-driven insights with editorial judgment? How do you make sure you’re not just optimizing for what “clicks best”? And what happens if a journalist pitches an important story that your data suggests might not perform well?

3. analysis for more than eight years now. What have been some of the biggest changes in how audiences engage with content during that time? If you had to highlight three key takeaways, what do you think works best to build and sustain an engaged audience? Which metrics matter most to you — is it interactions, shares, time spent on site …?

More Questions:

1. Many newsrooms struggle to convert social media engagement into actual website traffic, where their revenue typically lies. How do you approach that challenge at Rest of World?

2. At the recent INN conference here at the school, there was a discussion about whether social media should primarily be used as a marketing tool to drive audiences to newsroom platforms, rather than meeting them where they are. What’s your take on that?

3. Some people – like Nilay Patel from The Verge – argue that it’s not content but distribution that’s king. Do you agree? Has distribution become more important than the content itself?

4. When you conduct user interviews, do you find that people are honest about their interests and needs? Have you noticed any recent shifts between what audiences say they want and what they actually engage with? What are some of the latest trends you’re seeing in audience engagement and growth?

5. Which analytics tools or platforms do you rely on most to understand your audience metrics? In what ways do you use AI for audience analysis?

6. You’ve been working in audience

7. From your experience at the WSJ, how open-minded are more traditional or senior journalists when it comes to adjusting aspects of their coverage — like headlines or story angles — to perform better online?

—

Sources: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/janemseidel/details/experience/

https://www.janeseidel.com/work

https://restofworld.org/inside/jane-seidel-promoted-to-director-audience-analytics/

https://restofworld.org/

Questions: You’ve been working in different audience development and engagement roles for big and small newsrooms for the last 6 years and you’ve seen a lot of technological developments in that period. 

1. Describe what a typical day as a Director for Audience & Analytics looks like. 

2. What do you think about the level of recognition in the industry of the role of audience development and engagement in media organizations (and other sectors)? And how does this affect our career prospect?

3. What’s your top 3 advice for journalists looking for an audience development and engagement role? 

4. What metrics are the most reliable for gauging success in your experience? Can you cite examples? How did these metrics impact the organization’s content strategy? 

5. What’s the most effective strategy that you’ve seen for audience development and engagement offline?

OTHER QUESTIONS if we have more time:

1. What are the fundamental differences in your audience development and engagement strategy for legacy newsrooms like the Wall Street Journal and a nonprofit niche (smaller) newsroom like Rest of World? 

2. What challenges have you faced with the editorial team at the WSJ about their reception of your audience data? How did you manage the pushback? 

3. How did AI affect the way you approach your role? How do you stay abreast of all the tech developments that impact your role? 

   
   

Sources:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/janemseidel/details/experience/

https://muckrack.com/jane-seidel

https://restofworld.org/inside/jane-seidel-promoted-to-director-audience-analytics/

Sources:

https://www.janeseidel.com/work

https://www.linkedin.com/in/janemseidel/details/experience/

https://restofworld.org/inside/jane-seidel-promoted-to-director-audience-analytics/

2.) What do you do when the numbers and your instincts don’t match?

3.) At Rest of World, you reach readers in many different regions.
What are the best ways to grow audiences for niche or under-represented stories?

4.) You often work between editorial, product, and business teams.
What’s the hardest part of getting everyone aligned - and how do you explain data so it makes sense to each group?

5.) As journalism students focused on engagement, we’re trying to find our place between storytelling and data.

What advice would you give us on how to build a career -  or find our role - in this constantly changing space between content and analytics?

Sources:

https://muckrack.com/jane-seidel

https://restofworld.org/inside/jane-seidel-promoted-to-director-audience-analytics/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

How governments use facial recognition for protest:

https://restofworld.org/2024/facial-recognition-government-protest-surveillance/?utm_source=chatgpt.com Narrated by:  Jane Seidl

2- You mentioned that you worked with off-paltform data in order to make decisions at WSJ, which methods did you use to get it, any other apart from interviews? Was it worth the investment?

3- Which role do you think the algorithm plays in today's audience engagement strategy? 

4- As an audience director, which is your everyday relationship with the content and the story itself? How did it change during the years and in the different positions you had? 

Sources:

• https://restofworld.org/inside/jane-seidel-promoted-to-director-audience-analytics/

• https://www.janeseidel.com/about

Sources:

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/janemseidel?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

• https://restofworld.org/inside/jane-seidel-promoted-to-director-audience-analytics/

2. I read your story about “phone number neighbors” published in The Wall Street Journal. How did you find that story? Was it connected in any way to your work in audience analysis?

3. I’m really curious what does a typical day look like for you as an audience analyst? What kinds of things do you design or analyze?

4. What do you think is the most important skill in audience engagement? Do you think it’s something that can be taught, or is it more about adapting and learning on the job?

Source：

https://www.linkedin.com/in/janemseidel/

https://www.janeseidel.com/

https://www.wsj.com/articles/who-is-this-friendly-texters-annoy-strangers-with-number-neighbor-messages-11569594806

2.    Platform Shifts - Social media apps and how people find news online - - are always changing. How does Rest of World decide which platforms are worth investing in? (i.e. time, money, people, etc…), and when to pull back from others?

Future Skills - What tech skills or data analysis abilities will engagement journalists need to have in the next five years to succeed in this field?

Sources:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/janemseidel/

https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-report/2024/dnr-executive-summary

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/16522354.2024.2442232?af=R&utm

https://restofworld.org/inside/jane-seidel-promoted-to-director-audience-analytics/

2. As a fan of the New York Liberty team, which highly engages with audiences, are there any areas of audience engagement that can be adopted from their tool belt and applied to newsrooms? 

3. Across the publications and roles you have held, is there a specific method that stands out as the most sustainable way to build brand loyalty? 

Additional curiosities:
1. When you start at a new publication, what is your process for assessing where the current audience is and where you want to go? How did the starting place for the Rest of World audience differ from that of the Protocol? 

2. What audience data informed the choice to take away the pink underline beneath pull quotes?  

Sources:

https://restofworld.org/inside/jane-seidel-promoted-to-director-audience-analytics/

https://restofworld.org/inside/product-updates-august-pull-quotes-beats-merchandise/

https://www.janeseidel.com/about

https://www.linkedin.com/in/janemseidel/

2. Since Reuters is a news wire rather than a primary news outlet, who do you think of when you talk about audience engagement? Is your main audience other journalists, or do you also target the general public?

3. How do you ensure a sustainable business model when so many newsrooms are financially struggling and cutting budgets, while Reuters still relies on them as paying clients?

4. What would you recommend to someone who doesn’t want to be a traditional reporter anymore but wants to help drive innovation and strategy in a newsroom? There aren’t really internships or clear entry points for those roles – how can one “dock” or connect to that field?

5. If you were advising early-career journalists, which field or area would you recommend they specialize in? Where do you see the most opportunities right now?

SOURCES:

https://reutersagency.com/media-centre/jennifer-hicks-to-join-reuters-as-digital-director

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferjhicks/
https://www.reuters.com/

https://www.tiktok.com/@reuters?lang=en

https://www.instagram.com/reuters/

2- Many big and traditional media outlets have apps as a product, how is that working as a revenue strategy considering that the way people consume news is changing with open AI search engines?

3 -  While Reading your description at Reuters, you are going to be managing a lot of products, how do you organize yourself in your daily work?

4- As a product and audience engagement especialist, which would you say are the plataforms and products we should be looking at in the future?

Sources:

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferjhicks?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

• https://reutersagency.com/media-centre/jennifer-hicks-to-join-reuters-as-digital-director?hs_amp=true

2. In your time at the Journal, you established the their digital operations in London. How did your time in London shape how you think about U.S. publications’ global reach? And in what ways will that inform your work at Reuters, one of the world's largest international multimedia news providers?

3. In various interviews, you talk about the impact your education has had on you, whether it’s in an interview with the Gaylord College alumni group at Oklahoma University, where you highlighted mentors like Jack Willis, who shaped your journalism career, or at the Norman Public Schools Foundation Hall of Honor induction ceremony where you said the public school system was “at the heart of your story.” In what ways do you see your career as a newsroom leader carrying on that legacy of education and mentorship?

https://reutersagency.com/media-centre/jennifer-hicks-to-join-reuters-as-digital-director

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferjhicks/details/experience/

https://www.ou.edu/content/dam/gaylord/jaymac/docs/alumni-spotlight/jennifer-johnson-hicks.pdf

https://www.normantranscript.com/news/the-beauty-of-public-education-npsf-inducts-two-into-hall-of-honor/article_7f97e46c-0196-11ef-ad11-83e285ba383b.html#:~:text=On Monday%2C the Norman Public,of honor at Monday'%20luncheon

1) Considering you have established the WSJ's digital operations in London - is there any differences you've seen in how you approach audience engagement internationally versus in the U.S.?

2) What made you decide to continue your education and get a master's degree at Columbia University in an industry where people seem to value experience above all else?

3) A part of job description is to work with colleagues to integrate AI into Reuter's app and site to better serve the audience. How have you balanced this task while still remaining filled with integrity and maintain "genuine" human relationships with your audience?

Sources:

1) https://reutersagency.com/media-centre/jennifer-hicks-to-join-reuters-as-digital-director

2) https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jenniferjhicks_reuters-hires-hicks-as-digital-director-activity-7366992117828698113-NuJJ/

3) https://talkingbiznews.com/biz-news-help-wanted/full-time/reuters-seeks-a-digital-director/

4) https://www.inma.org/blogs/product-initiative/post.cfm/news-publishers-priorities-shift-from-traffic-volume-to-reaching-the-right-audiences

2. How do you view the future of digital news at Reuters? And what part of your vision for Reuters do you think set you apart in the selection process?

3. How do you offramp projects when the platform algorithms change and that project isn't reaching audiences anymore? How do you know when to pull the plug? And what goes through your head when you are making that choice?

https://talkingbiznews.com/biz-news-help-wanted/full-time/reuters-seeks-a-digital-director/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferjhicks/

https://reutersagency.com/about/standards-values/

https://reutersagency.com/about/our-trust-principles/

https://www.reutersprofessional.com/content-studios/p/1

https://reutersagency.com/media-centre/jennifer-hicks-to-join-reuters-as-digital-director

4. On documentary filmmaking work: “As a student of documentary filmmaking , I’m curious: how does a global agency like Reuters think about long-form storytelling (e.g., video documentaries, immersive features) within its digital strategy? Are there new formats you’re excited about?”

2. At the Wall Street Journal, you worked on audience engagement by tailoring content to the platform (for example, by creating richer posts on LinkedIn to attract new subscribers). How do you plan to apply these at Reuters?

3. Now, as Reuters’ Digital Director, what new product or features are you most excited to launch or expand?

Source:

https://www.inma.org/blogs/product-initiative/post.cfm/news-publishers-priorities-shift-from-traffic-volume-to-reaching-the-right-audiences

https://talkingbiznews.com/media-news/longtime-wsj-staffer-hicks-departs-after-21-years/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferjhicks/

Sources:

1. https://www.wsj.com/news/author/jennifer-j-hicks?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=AWEtsqdv5YT35kFSKvtZFtpLScLKNHwfjOXI0DiPJ501zJCkA_n7vrhgaujuRB7nlrU%3D&gaa_ts=68ff5f34&gaa_sig=-HRuUzcV3VkiGNvfDmgk23Q4QFjO59i8GPc8KN38pQdTqCMdwQbJeZbc5Kw3NyVsb8dpwF_2b-v0-o2TMJ34hg%3D%3

2. https://reutersagency.com/media-centre/jennifer-hicks-to-join-reuters-as-digital-director

3. https://talkingbiznews.com/media-news/reuters-hires-hicks-as-digital-director/

1.    Subscriptions: How has the subscription model has changed what you prioritize. What kind of content keeps subscribers coming back versus what just got clicks when everything was free? Have there been any surprises?

2.    AI and quality journalism: Work with colleagues to integrate AI into our app and site and other products to better serve our audience while maintaining Reuters highest editorial standards.  How are you using AI and what are some trends? How are you enforcing standards?

3.    Managing the newsroom shift: How do you get the whole newsroom on board with digital-first thinking? I imagine some journalists are more comfortable with traditional reporting, so how do you lead that cultural change and get everyone excited about new ways of storytelling?

Sources:

1. Reuters Plus Studio (Video, Podcasts, Articles, Infographics, photo essays) Content Studios

2. Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024 - "The State of Digital News Publishing" Key findings from the Digital News Report 2024

3. Columbia Journalism Review - "AI in the Newsroom: Opportunities and Challenges" Artificial Intelligence in the News: How AI Retools, Rationalizes, and Reshapes Journalism and the Public Arena - Columbia Journalism Review

4. Nieman Lab - "From Free to Fee: News Publishers' Subscription Strategies" Less is more, and discounts work: A new study looks at the minutiae of paywall strategy | Nieman Journalism Lab

What operational frameworks guide your decisions around integrating new technology into newsroom and product strategy?

Sources:

•       AI in the Newsroom case studies

•       NYT newsroom AI use

2. Finance

Given ongoing financial pressures and the need to innovate, how do you decide which journalism products or experiments get funded or cut? Can you share a specific example where community engagement influenced the financial direction of a product?

Sources:

•       WSJ's Bowers hired by Philly Inquirer

•       Becky Bowers LinkedIn profile

•       AI and journalism financial implications

3. Operations

What have been the biggest pain points or successes when connecting cross-department teams (like editorial, product, and tech) to launch or improve digital products? How do you move from siloed thinking to true collaboration?

Sources:

•       JournalismAI global survey

Washington Post AI tools and workflow

2. How can smaller and newer newsrooms start their own product development teams with much limited resources? - What are the roles and functions in product development do they need to onboard to be able to start a functional product development team (or even just one person in start-up newsrooms).

3. Which of the products that you launched would you say has been the most successful and what’s your measure for saying that?

4. Can you describe the steps that you take from ideation to product launch and beyond?

5. What are the most important considerations that you take into account before launching a product?

6. Have you had products that flopped? How long did it take before you finally decide to pull the plug?

7. In your LinkedIn profile you mentioned that you helped launch “biweekly cross-functional priorities conversation with product, editorial, marketing and sales.” Can you describe how a typical meeting goes? What are the usual agenda items?

8. Can you give some concrete examples of what such meetings were able to accomplish?

Sources:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/beckybowers/

https://newsproduct.org/blog/if-the-product-is-news-the-philadelphia-inquirer-case-study

https://jtimes.yourweb.csuchico.edu/fall15/bowers.php

1. How does The Philadelphia Inquirer balance traditional storytelling with the need to experiment in multimedia formats?

2. What role does audience feedback and engagement data play when your product and newsroom teams decide which digital features or storytelling formats to invest in?
   

3. As someone who bridges the editorial and product worlds, what advice would you give young journalists who want to collaborate effectively with designers, developers, and data teams in a modern newsroom?

Sources: 

https://muckrack.com/beckybowers/bio

https://theorg.com/org/inquirer-academy/org-chart/becky-bowers

https://newsproduct.org/blog/if-the-product-is-news-the-philadelphia-inquirer-case-study?utm_source=chatgpt.com

2.I read on your LinkedIn profile that you started out as a reporter, then became an editor, and later started audience-related work. I also saw in an article that you mentioned how working in news product design can be challenging for people in early careers. How did your experiences as a reporter and editor influence the decisions you make in work right now? Could you share an example?

3.Based on your experience, how do you integrate audience feedback into the news product design thinking? Could you share a specific example?

Sources:

https://events.digitalcontentnext.org/tech-product-innovation-2022/agenda-speakers

https://www.linkedin.com/in/beckybowers/

https://newsroom.journalists.org/2023/08/26/news-product-thinkers-develop-new-career-pathways

https://muckrack.com/beckybowers/bio

source:

https://newsproduct.org/blog/if-the-product-is-news-the-philadelphia-inquirer-case-study?utm_source=chatgpt.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/beckybowers/details/experience/

1) You have a lot on your plate and a lot of different tasks to manage (i.e. product strategy, apps, events, newsletters, employees to manage etc.)- how do you decide what deserves the majority of your attention on the day to day?

2) How do you think your time doing 12 years as St. Petersburg times/ Tampa bay times as a business editor has built up your skill level to be prepared for this role? Especially as people like us who are simultaneously sharpening our traditional journalism skills within an engagement program?

3) According to your socials, it’s clearly that you enjoy flowers, banking, and things of that nature. How do you make sure to find time for joy and decompressing amongst a busy work load?

Links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/beckybowers/

https://talkingbiznews.com/they-talk-biz-news/wsjs-bowers-hired-by-philly-inquirer-as-director-of-product/

https://bsky.app/profile/beckybowers.bsky.social

1. You recently gave a talk at MediaFest25 titled “News Product Is the Future of News.” What kind of news products do you see shaping that future? 

   • What will news products look like five years from now?

   • How do you think Gen Alpha will consume news?

   • What will keep audiences engaged as people increasingly move away from traditional news?
     

2. At The Philadelphia Inquirer, what product are you currently working on? What’s the most audience-engaging product you’ve ever launched?
   

3. What’s the worst news product you’ve ever launched, and why did it fail or not work out as planned? What’s one thing you wish someone had told you earlier about news product design?

   
   

4. When is the right time to stop a product? Many legacy newsrooms tend to hold onto things because “that’s how it’s always been done.” How do you decide when to move on? Or completely re-think and shift the whole strategy just as the inquirer did almost ten years ago. 

More Questions:

5. How do your news products generate revenue? Or is your main focus to create engaging, user-friendly experiences that drive subscriptions indirectly?

   
   

6. You’ve launched verticals in food and sports over the past two years — which performs better, and why?
   

7. I saw that your product development team has 13 members — what advice would you give to smaller newsrooms or startups that can’t afford that many staff?
   

8. Do you prefer developing and implementing audience-facing products or internal tools? Why?
   

9. What does a typical workday look like for you? How often/closely does your team collaborate directly with the newsroom and journalists?
   

10. Do you usually come up with a new product idea first and then test for audience demand, or do you start by identifying a community need and then design a product around it?
    

    
    

    Sources:
    
    https://www.linkedin.com/in/beckybowers/

    
    

    https://www.wsj.com/news/author/becky-bowers?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=AWEtsqexNfrnhZz9lZVvK-mFnOKhAkN1SClJMy65QiW_FhQkdKDH0T_VzmKLlm7GDmo%3D&gaa_ts=69116327&gaa_sig=RlrU9I24uk5vRgBn2LQn_kVxgs23Z1Pn602Y4FkGZJD8mGCZmTgT__JK0GJ94f6iXPHPNxKPArk30i-eIoPPgw%3D%3D

    
    

    https://x.com/beckybowers?lang=en

    
    

    https://newsproduct.org/blog/if-the-product-is-news-the-philadelphia-inquirer-case-study

    
    

    https://upstatement.com/case-study/philadelphia-inquirer

    
    

Sources:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/beckybowers/

https://muckrack.com/beckybowers/bio

https://events.digitalcontentnext.org/tech-product-innovation-2022/speaker/483779/becky-bowers

https://www.wsj.com/news/author/becky-bowers?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=AWEtsqcVSNEhyakmyxH-Pj3tOE0v3gfQ-1ihJ1Auld3cQ2XOa2o7zLYJsI_76PkHewE%3D&gaa_ts=6911efc0&gaa_sig=R6wZ7LsZjU7vJbLwujHIpPw0CT2JNjo0rT_OarfmbIcl7WUfP4FE-t9eknmD9Lu6smAlYtdxP5U_un8-GJ_FEg%3D%3D

Sources:

1. https://newsproduct.org/blog/if-the-product-is-news-the-philadelphia-inquirer-case-study

2. https://digiday.com/media/we-can-do-this-for-all-of-our-sports-with-gameday-central-the-philadelphia-inquirer-bets-on-live-streaming-video-sports-coverage/

3. https://viafoura.com/wp-content/uploads/Viafoura_Case-Study_Philly.pdf

4. https://x.com/acpress/status/1983534763693473874

5. https://studentpress.org/nspa/philadelphia-story-schedule/

2. It seems Inquirer Food took about a year to conceptualize and build. I assume you needed to solicit buy-in and participation from people in other departments outside of product to help it come to fruition. How did you determine how much time to ask of members of other teams? And do you have any advice for ensuring a smooth management structure when working with folks from other teams?

3. For Inquirer Food, you created many products, including a restaurant finder, maps, a homepage, and an Instagram account. How did you decide the right number of products to build? And how do you measure success for the whole project when you launch so many products at once?

https://www.linkedin.com/in/beckybowers/

https://newsproduct.org/blog/if-the-product-is-news-the-philadelphia-inquirer-case-study

https://www.inquirer.com/food/inquirer-food-letter-from-editor-20250527.html

Sources:

https://muckrack.com/beckybowers/bio

https://theorg.com/org/inquirer-academy/org-chart/becky-bowers

https://newsproduct.org/blog/if-the-product-is-news-the-philadelphia-inquirer-case-study

https://www.linkedin.com/in/beckybowers/

https://talkingbiznews.com/they-talk-biz-news/wsjs-bowers-hired-by-philly-inquirer-as-director-of-product/

2. During your time at MS, you experimented with live-event models. There was the day-long summit at BAM in September 2024, an invite-only event with Jen Psaki, Steve Kornacki and Stephanie Ruhle, the DNC event with Symone Sanders Townsend and Luke Russert. What did you learn from holding these?

3. At the beginning of your tenure at MS, there was a lot of discussion across the news division about how to capture younger views - a Washington Post article from the time calls it “the white whale of the cable news industry.” What were the difficulties in getting that viewer demographic to tune in? And did you see any markers of improvement?

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/14/business/media/msnbc-rashida-jones-stepping-down.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2021/05/24/msnbc-rashida-jones/

https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/msnbc-kive-events-cable-tv-news-rashida-jones-1236139446/

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/11/28/audiences-are-declining-for-traditional-news-media-in-the-us-with-some-exceptions/

2) At a recent event, you mentioned that your default is to be a leader. What laid the foundation for your journey to becoming a newsroom leader and manager? Which hard and soft skills are essential for leaders in today’s news industry to thrive?

3) During your time at MSNBC, you launched a series of live events. How effective are events as a tool for audience engagement? What was your experience balancing cost versus impact? Which tools or products engaged audiences the most?

More Questions:

4) What do you see as the next big trends in the industry? Where should we focus, and what skills should journalists and newsroom teams develop?

5) You managed MSNBC through highly polarized and challenging news cycles. What’s your biggest takeaway from that experience? In your view, is it easier or more effective for newsrooms to operate during high-intensity periods or calmer times?

6) What was the average age of the MSNBC audience, and how do you see the future of broadcast journalism evolving?

Sources: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rashidajones/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_NOW

https://www.ms.now/

https://www.newscaststudio.com/2025/11/17/ms-now-graphics/

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/msnbc-president-rashida-jones-steps-four-year-tenure-rcna187574

https://apnews.com/article/msnbc-president-leaving-jones-d9ef19430ff321499a30d57909f6f882

https://nabjonline.org/blog/nabj-congratulates-rashida-jones-on-historic-tenure-at-msnbc/

- Are there any newsrooms that you see providing innovative approaches to audience engagement currently? Why do you think these approaches are effective?

- From your experience are there any trends or obstacles (politically, technologically, habitually) that are emerging that newsrooms will have to navigate to develop or maintain audiences?

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rashidajones/

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/msnbc-president-rashida-jones-steps-four-year-tenure-rcna187574

https://www.wesleyan.edu/about/news/2025/11/rashida-jones-leadership-media-msnbc-patricelli-center-entrepreneurship.html

1.        Cable TV has been struggling to compete with streaming apps and online news. What has been your strategy to keep up with the times and stay ahead of the competition when you became company President?

2.        You launched a number of new initiatives during your stint. What is your principle when it comes to experimentation? How much space do you give your team to experiment and fail? What is this based on?

3.        What kind of data did you have that led you to identify products such as the live event series and premium subscription series?

·      Can you walk us through the process of product development? Who pitched these ideas to you? What made you decide to approve them?

·      Were these ventures successful? What metrics did you use?

·      Can you mention other products that failed? How and when did you decide to kill them?

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/msnbc-president-rashida-jones-steps-four-year-tenure-rcna187574

https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2020/12/07/msnbc-rashida-jones-phil-griffin/

https://apnews.com/article/msnbc-president-leaving-jones-d9ef19430ff321499a30d57909f6f882

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rashidajones/

2. You made history as the first Black woman to lead a major cable news network. Can you share a specific example of a story or a segment where having your specific perspective in the decision-making room changed the way the network engaged with a community?

3. Given your experience, would you advise us to focus on building our own independent audience, or is the traditional path - finding a mentor and working up through a network - still the best way to build a career?

Sources:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/APn7LgtFUD4

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/msnbc-president-rashida-jones-steps-four-year-tenure-rcna187574

https://nabjonline.org/blog/nabj-congratulates-rashida-jones-on-historic-tenure-at-msnbc/

2. You often mention the crucial role of mentors in early career. What kind of support do young journalists need most today?

3. What metrics are most important to you when evaluating whether to launch a new project? What do you think are the common mistakes media entrepreneurs make?

4. You’ve experienced many major news events during your career. What leadership habits helped you maintain good judgment under pressure?

Sources:

https://www.wesleyan.edu/about/news/2025/11/rashida-jones-leadership-media-msnbc-patricelli-center-entrepreneurship.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rashida_Jones_%28television_executive%29?utm

https://nabjonline.org/blog/nabj-congratulates-rashida-jones-on-historic-tenure-at-msnbc

https://hopeglobalforums.org/speaker/rashida-jones

Sources:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rashidajones/

https://www.wesleyan.edu/about/news/2025/11/rashida-jones-leadership-media-msnbc-patricelli-center-entrepreneurship.html

https://nabjonline.org/blog/nabj-congratulates-rashida-jones-on-historic-tenure-at-msnbc

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/14/business/media/msnbc-rashida-jones-stepping-down.html

https://deadline.com/2025/01/rashida-jones-msnbc-president-resigns-1236256358/

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/msnbc-president-rashida-jones-steps-four-year-tenure-rcna187574

2. We hear a lot of uncertainty in the industry according to staff at various networks.  Technological advancements are rapidly changing how we receive information. A trend of today can be gone within a relatively short amount of time. How do you figure out what’s real, what will last, and make a decision when the pressure is high?

https://journal.businesstoday.org/bt-online/2025/breaking-barriers-building-futures-rashida-jones-redefines-leadership-in-media

3. When you stepped into the President role at MSNBC, how did you define the culture you wanted to build, and what were the steps you took to shift the culture?

https://www.wesleyan.edu/about/news/2025/11/rashida-jones-leadership-media-msnbc-patricelli-center-entrepreneurship.html

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/msnbc-president-rashida-jones-steps-four-year-tenure-rcna187574

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJIQ5LLsI1M

https://www.wesleyan.edu/about/news/2025/11/rashida-jones-leadership-media-msnbc-patricelli-center-entrepreneurship.html

2- How do you think about audience in a very polarized scenario like the current one? Especially in Broadcast?

3- I know you launched a live event series at MSNBC, which role do you think events have in the journalistic industry and the audience engagement strategy?

4 - On an interview from some years ago, you mentioned that in the begining social media was seen as merely a marketing tool, from your experience, what do you think is the role of social media in journalism?

Sources:

https://apnews.com/article/msnbc-president-leaving-jones-d9ef19430ff321499a30d57909f6f882

https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/msnbc-kive-events-cable-tv-news-rashida-jones-1236139446/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJIQ5LLsI1M

More about early career:

1. From your time overseeing both programming and new businesses, what’s one engagement skill you wish every early-career journalist had?

2. If a young journalist wants to end up in leadership, what should we be doing differently in our 20s than just chasing bylines?

3. You started out in 2000 and you've just stepped down from President of MSNBC this past January. What's your biggest piece of advice for building a career that can survive big shifts (corporate, political, technological)?

https://www.vogue.com/article/msnbc-rashida-jones-first-black-woman-to-lead-cable-new-network

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rashida_Jones_%28television_executive%29

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/14/business/media/msnbc-rashida-jones-stepping-down.html

https://newsproduct.org/blog/if-the-product-is-news-the-philadelphia-inquirer-case-study

https://www.essence.com/news/money-career/rashida-jones-announces-msnbc-exit/