As we approach New Year’s Eve it’s nice to look back at the materials inspired by the challenges and changes of 2020. We already published the rating of our top-performing articles of the year (read them here). 

Reader’s engagement is a good benchmark of article quality but we also wanted to highlight stories that, in our humble opinion, are best suited to reflect this chaotic year for the media world. 

Toolbox #1: Dennik SME

Author: David Tvrdon

Bookmark alert! In this series, David Tvrdon shares some of the most useful tools for modern-day journalism. Subscription management, data visualization, online podcasting, video tools and so much more in one publication. If this piqued your interest, definitely check out another article in the series about Spanish media elDiario.es and its use of tools to deliver the best possible member experience. 

Non-profit media and the donor darling paradox

Author: Jakub Parusinski

Trying to avoid funding “donor darlings” can help spread resources among a broader pool of recipients. However, it would also create a systemic problem that may be holding back media from becoming truly self-sustaining.

Help needed: what can be done to support Belarusian media

Author: Daryna Shevchenko

As the fight against dictatorship in Belarus continues, local media are going through a unique ordeal. Daryna Shevchenko reached out to journalists, editors, and media managers to learn what support they needed the most. 

Infographics: How Belarus media move to Telegram

Author: Nataliia Kindrativ

Since the beginning of the protest movement, Belarus has been both a physical and digital battleground. Telegram proved to be one of the most valuable resources for independent media. Nataliia Kindrativ analyzed the five biggest independent media of Belarus to see what impact the protests had on their Telegram channels.

It’s the operations, stupid – media transformation case study

Author: Jakub Parusinski, Iuliia Bankova 

Sometimes the best way to move forward is to completely change everything you used to do before. Jakub Parusinski and Iuliia Bankova prepared a comprehensive case study of Ukrainian TV and digital media hromadske’s fundamental transformation and how the outlet managed to redesign its management processes and operations. 

Photo by David Sonluna on Unsplash