The Next Step for Young Journalists

Download Report At the WAN-IFRA Newsroom Summit 2025 Conference, one question came up repeatedly: if AI is increasingly becoming the “sleepless intern” of the newsroom, or is doing the grunt work normally designated to young reporters, then what will the role of these new journalists become? Furthermore, how can news organisations train young talent so they may become seasoned, valuable journalists down the line?

Through my research “The Impact of AI on the Newsroom”, I’ve found two clear paths for how young journalists can learn and grow as reporters in an AI-influenced newsroom. In this blog article, I explore both.

A return to the role of reporter

Several of the media experts I interviewed assert that AI is causing a reallocation of priorities within the role of the journalist. More specifically, if it is currently the case that a journalist splits time equally between discovering the story and writing the finalised article, we will see this dynamic start to shift. Instead of spending time writing stories, there will be a renewed importance in finding them.

David Cohn, the Senior Director of AI at Advance Local, calls this a balancing act between the role of “reporter” and “journalist”, where the reporter is the entity that finds the story and the journalist is the person who writes the final draft. Given the facts, AI is now able to create a polished, finalised story for newsrooms. However, collecting the facts of that story is a different matter.

AI might be able to scan swaths of documents to uncover article ideas, but it cannot go to the city hall and gauge the temperament of a group of protestors. AI cannot conduct interviews or get to know sources. It cannot form the relationships essential to putting together a good story.

However, this is something that young journalists can do. Rather than writing the fluff stories that AI can likely do better and faster, young reporters should instead set out to find stories, to get to know people, and to embed themselves within their community. These are parts of reporting that will always be necessary, and always be human.

Professor Jeremy Gilbert, Knight Chair in Digital Media Strategy at Northwestern University, reminds us that, when televised network news became popular, the same kind of priority shift occurred. More specifically, TV news anchors were not necessarily doing the factfinding of the stories they would present; rather, other people would collect information, and presenters would tell the story in a manner that was appealing to a broader audience.

The same kind of transition will happen in the age of AI. Young reporters will make connections, have conversations, and uncover stories. They will be the reporters. Only now, much like TV news presenters, AI-supported tools or more seasoned reporters will take that information and tell the story around it.

Use your young people to connect with younger audiences.

It is increasingly important for newsrooms to build meaningful connections with audiences, especially younger ones. One of the ways to do this is for news organisations to allow their journalists to be more visible, and to hold their own brand both within and in tandem with the larger news brand. As such, newsrooms should be taking advantage of the rise in the “journo-influencer,” or individuals who create news content that is in part bolstered by their own personality.

Luckily, those best able to create this content are young staff members, individuals who inherently understand what younger audiences want from the news.

Nina Brorson and her work at Danish daily Berlingske is a great example of this. Brorson encouraged her young journalists to create their own brand and let themselves be seen, both inside and external to the Berlingske newspaper. For instance, one of Brorson’s journalists wrote a piece about how intelligence shapes lives, using his own IQ scores and interactions with IQ as fodder for his reporting. The result was a remarkably popular story, and an instance of how a young journalist utilized new forms and his personal brand to tell stories in different ways. Brorson’s work shows how, as a result of young journalists’ natural understanding of what young people want from the news, they are able to form stronger connections with audiences.

Young people not only know how to connect to young people, but they also know how to traverse popular media spaces or social media feeds in a way that can be a major asset to news organisations’ brands. As such, rather than training young people to be the same kind of journalists we have seen in the past, give them the leeway to make new forms of content, as well as a name and space for themselves in the digital world.

Conclusion

AI is changing the newsroom, and as a result is changing the roles within it. But that does not mean that there is no longer space for journalists, even the young ones. Instead, young journalists will have to utilise their ability to connect with communities, interviewees, and audiences to find and create stories. Not only will this train these journalists to be weathered professionals down the line but will further equip them for an even more AI-influenced newsroom in the coming years.

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David Cohn, interview by author, Microsoft Teams, August 15, 2025.

Jeremy Gilbert, interview by author, Microsoft Teams, August 12, 2025.

Vijay, Aultrin. “How Young Journalists Are Helping Berlingske Media Grow Its Audience.” WAN-IFRA, 28 Nov. 2025, https://wan-ifra.org/2025/11/how-young-journalists-are-helping-berlingske-media-grow-its-audience/.

FAQ: AI and Young Journalists

How is AI changing the role of young journalists?

AI is shifting journalists' priorities from packaging articles to finding stories. Young reporters are becoming more focused on discovering news, conducting interviews, building community relationships, and gathering facts—tasks AI cannot perform—while AI handles routine writing and content packaging.

What tasks can AI do that junior reporters used to handle?

AI can scan documents, create polished articles from facts, and handle routine "news packaging" tasks. It acts as a "sleepless intern" that writes stories quickly and efficiently once information is provided.

What skills should young journalists develop in an AI-influenced newsroom?

Young journalists should focus on reporting skills like conducting interviews, building source relationships, embedding in communities, gauging public sentiment, and uncovering stories through human interaction—capabilities AI lacks.

What is a "journo-influencer"?

A journo-influencer is a journalist who creates news content bolstered by their own personality and personal brand, connecting with audiences (especially younger ones) through authentic storytelling and social media presence alongside their organization's brand.

How can news organizations use young journalists to reach younger audiences?

Organizations should encourage young staff to develop their own brand, be visible, and create content that resonates with younger readers. Young journalists naturally understand what young audiences want and how to navigate social media effectively.

Will AI replace young journalists entirely?

No. AI cannot replace the human elements of journalism—building relationships, conducting in-person interviews, understanding community dynamics, and creating authentic connections with sources and audiences. Young journalists remain essential for these irreplaceable tasks.

How should newsrooms train young journalists today?

Rather than training them to be traditional journalists who split time equally between finding and writing stories, newsrooms should emphasize reporting skills, community engagement, source development, and creating new content forms that connect with modern audiences.

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About the author

Sofia Giannuzzi is a graduate student at the University of Oxford, where she is pursuing an MSc in Digital Scholarship as an Ertegun Scholar.

Her research explores how emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, reshape the ways we tell stories, spanning areas such as AI-generated fiction and newswriting.

Sofia's work has appeared in IEEE Computer Architecture Letters and Smithsonian Magazine.

About Eidosmedia

Eidosmedia is a global supplier of advanced content-management and digital publishing systems.

Its products are used by large news-media groups for print and digital publishing.

Customers include business dailies The Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal , as well as generalist news publications like The Times of London, The Washington Post and Le Figaro .