The death of the newsroom, the rise of the 'storyteller'
Greg Tanner Dec 22About 25 years ago, I was the “webmaster” for a television production company called London News Network. The internet was still a novelty back then, and no one took it seriously - certainly not as a threat to TV.
Every other day, some older staff member mocked my job title. And I vividly remember being called into a meeting (as a 22-year-old) with the company’s managing director and two very senior ITV figures. The idea of putting more resources into our websites was floated… and quite literally laughed at.
“We could increase viewership by 0.1% and make more than we’d ever make from any bloody ‘websites’,” they chuckled.
So yes, it was rather satisfying to watch the gradual shift towards online and digital over the following quarter of a century (even as I largely remained in TV production lol)
But in the last year or so, it feels like we’ve reached a genuine tipping point. It increasingly looks as though TV news, and perhaps news media more broadly, is facing an existential crisis.
The reasons are many:
- Trust in traditional news has eroded significantly over the past decade - much of it, frankly, self-inflicted.
- Audiences are increasingly turning to independent creators they feel they can trust, who are often transparent about their viewpoints, rather than maintaining the often-fictional pretence of total objectivity that defines much of mainstream media.
- And more recently, AI-driven search is stripping away click-through traffic altogether, decimating revenue for many news organisations.
The result is a rapidly shrinking commercial base for journalism.
At the same time, as you’ve likely seen across LinkedIn recently, brands are leaning hard into “storytelling” (yes, I said the S-word).
Platforms such as YouTube, Instagram and TikTok allow organisations to speak directly to millions of people, instantly, and entirely on their own terms.
Rather than chasing column inches or broadcast slots, companies are building their own publishing operations - producing documentaries, explainers, short-form video, podcasts and social-first content that looks and feels like journalism, but is self-directed. The objective is now narrative control as much as exposure.
For many experienced journalists, producers and editors, the response has been pragmatic. Increasing numbers are leaving traditional news roles and moving into brand storytelling, consultancy or independent content creation. The work is different, but the craft is familiar.
This migration reflects a deeper truth: storytelling hasn’t lost its value. It has simply changed its employer. Companies understand that audiences are sceptical and distracted - and to cut through, they need editorial judgement, not just flashy drone shots and motion graphics.
I suspect 2026 is going to be a rough year for newsrooms around the world. But for those with the experience, skills and risk appetite, this new landscape may offer more opportunity than ever.