Publishers’ short video strategy is put to the test

2024 is a strange year. It will see four-year elections in the U.S. (the world’s richest economy and democracy) and five-year elections in India (the world’s most populous country and largest democracy) coincide.

All this will happen against the context of an uncertain economy. Will things continue to cool down for businesses and job growth, compelling the Fed to cut interest rates, and then spur stock markets to rise? Or will things continue as is, a purgatory where things aren’t that bad but things aren’t that great either?

I wrote that 2023 would be the year of inflation and people doing more with less, cutting costs, and increasing the onus on publishers and media companies to deliver more value, often with far fewer resources. Media companies have borne the brunt of this, with ample layoffs from Vox to Spotify to Wired to others.

But with two big global elections, an uncertain economy, and unresolved conflicts in multiple parts of the world, trust in journalism may continue to erode. Many people, especially young folks, will get their news and analysis from TikTok or Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts — whatever is the quick, easiest, most visual way to condense a nuanced issue. Newsrooms that don’t start testing these short video formats won’t be able to engage an audience hungry for information in an unstable political year. We’re also entering a minefield, where producing multiple articles on an issue — from multiple angles or perspectives — is viewed as both-sides-ism instead of journalism.

In 2024, The Juggernaut is going to test our short video strategy thoroughly. This means we’ll have to fail over and over again. It means that, as a South Asian media company with far fewer resources than others with our reach, we’ll have to make do with less. Some of the ideas we’re thinking about, just to get things off the ground: 1) turning some of our compelling, visual-based articles into videos by having a host talk about them; 2) doing vox-pop interviews on camera; 3) having our writers talking about what went into a story. Basically, how can we take some things that might be easier for us to do and start testing quickly?

2024 will be a critical year for news and journalism — and it’s best that we reach people exactly where they are.