As the year comes to an end we look back at the most popular stories about the media, community, journalism, innovations, newsletters, and the surprising ways of gaining the trust and likes of the audience. All through the lens of The Fix contributors. 

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Moving communities online (without losing their substance) 

Author: Alicja Peszkowska

A meaningful conversation of The Fix regular contributor Alicja Peszkowska with writer, lecturer, and researcher Lior Zalmanson about one of the most important issues of today’s media world – how to keep the audience interested and engaged. And more importantly, how to turn them into supporters and build authentic communities online. 

Ex-New Yorker and BuzzFeed newsletter director explains how email can become a newsroom’s biggest driver of revenue

Author: David Tvrdon

An interview with Dan Oshinsky – the former newsletter director of both The New Yorker and BuzzFeed, now Inbox Collective consultancy director – explores the ins and outs of the increasingly popular media format. Dan dives deep into the thinking behind popular newsletters, shares his views on the “going independent on Substack” movement, and explains why your newsroom should have a newsletter strategy.

More from The Fix: Models for news media in 2021

Is Solutions Journalism A Solution? 

Author: Alex Sabadan

Slowly but surely, solutions journalism has cemented its place amid the media-format family as audiences tire of constant breaking news cycles and anxiety-driven feed refreshing. The Fix contributor Alex Sabadan reflects on the how’s and why of solution journalism while trying to understand the real power it can bring both to the newsroom and our screens. 

A community solution to a flawed media market 

Author: Gaygysyz Geldiyev

It is no secret that Ukrainian media constantly struggle under the weight of political pressure, a crisis-prone economy, and oligarchic manipulation. Media expert Gaygysyz Geldiyev argues that despite all of these structural challenges there is still a way out. He shares his view on an innovative model of community support that makes building honest, impactful, and profitable media possible. 

Bursting the Information Bubble

Author: Alicja Peszkowska

In this conversation with Alicja Peszkowska, Vincent F. Hendricks, a Danish philosopher, and logician shares his views on journalism’s existential crisis, ethics, informational bubbles, and capitalism. One of the very timely issues it touches upon – dealing with the algorithm-driven mania of social media and focusing on building sustainable relations with audiences instead.

Main photo by Ibrahim Boran on Unsplash