The News Sustainability Project
Climate Impact & Sustainability Data (2022)
Reporting Period: 2022
Environmental Metrics
ESG Focus Areas
- Financial Sustainability of News Publishers
Climate Goals & Targets
Environmental Challenges
- K-shaped recovery from the pandemic impacting publishers differently.
- Struggles of local and smaller publishers against larger competitors.
- Difficulty in building direct relationships with readers.
- Challenges in revenue diversification.
- Need for efficient newsrooms and investment in product & technology.
- Lack of operational foundations.
- Talent acquisition and retention challenges.
- Developing viable business models aligned with content and context.
- Distinct challenges faced by publishers in the Global South.
Mitigation Strategies
- Diversifying revenue lines, improving operational discipline and cash allocation, investing in editorial output.
- Focusing on audience centricity and differentiated content for local communities.
- Prioritizing capturing first-party data to drive loyalty and improve monetization.
- Carefully diversifying revenue mix (up to 4 primary streams).
- Improving editorial efficiency and investing in product & technology.
- Investing in operational foundations using scalable low-cost technology solutions and collaboration.
- Setting clear organizational goals and communicating them effectively.
- Supporting smaller publishers in creating business models aligned with their content and market context.
- Addressing the specific challenges faced by publishers in the Global South through further attention from ecosystem actors.