Ten of The Fix’s best stories in 2024

Editor’s note: a version of this article previously appeared as a special edition of The Fix Media’s flagship newsletter. Subscribe to get everything you need to know about the European media market every Monday, along with monthly special reports.

As we’re emerging from the holiday season, let’s take a moment to revisit some of The Fix’s standout stories from 2024 that you may have missed.

Take a moment to read a few (or listen to AI-powered audio versions) – and tune in for more this year.

“Unique small French media outlets from the Balkans and Central Europe struggle to survive”

Romain Chauvet wrote about two unique small French media outlets, funded by their readers, trying to survive in countries where press freedom is not always respected.

“Zetland’s Tav Klitgaard on audience revenue that works”

Emma Löfgren interviewed a few media leaders for her course on audience building and engagement. Her conversation with Tav Klitgaard, CEO of Zetland, about the Danish outlet’s recipe for success, is particularly interesting.

“Alkompis’ Julia Agha on telling hard truths to your audience”

“When you cover a niche group and are close to that group, you’re their voice … but we also have to cover our target audience”. Julia Agha, CEO of Alkompis, Sweden’s largest Arabic-language news site, experienced this first-hand and recounted her experience in a conversation with Emma Löfgren.

“Trusting News’ Joy Mayer on how newsrooms can build trust among audiences”

“Journalists should be deeply curious about why they’re not being seen as useful or important”, Joy Mayer, founder of Trusting News initiative believes. She has some great practical advice on how publishers can build trust. 

“Five insights from Ukrainian regional media operating during wartime”

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale war, local newsrooms in Ukraine have faced an acute crisis. How have they survived? Anastasiia Kuzmenko gathered five insights from their experience.

“Turning podcasting into profit: Dział Zagraniczny’s €140,000 yearly income”

The Fix’s Sofiia Padalko spoke with Maciej Okraszewski, founder of one of Poland’s most successful independent podcasts Dział Zagraniczny, about how he gained a wide audience reporting on niche foreign topics.

“Slovak outlet Denník N has 70,000 paid subscribers. Here are seven lessons from their journey”

Denník N’s managers have a journalistic background. How did they build a successful media business? Iryna Hoiuk interviewed Veronika Munk, Director of Innovation and New Markets

“10 misconceptions and challenges about private investment in independent media”

The role of private capital in media is set to grow in the coming years. But there’s a lot of confusion about how investing in journalism works – as well as the hurdles involved. Here are 10 misconceptions and challenges holding the sector back, according to The Fix’s director Jakub Parusinski.

“How to build a stronger newsroom culture – seven tips from an expert”

Anton Protsiuk spoke with Jennifer Mizgata, author of the “Building News Culture” course, about what it takes to build a better newsroom culture for new and established media organisations.

“Raju Narisetti on steering publishing at McKinsey and his leadership philosophy”

“Leadership is balancing between being a microscope and a telescope… making sure you are not over indexing in either micromanaging or being absent”. For our regular series on media careers, Anton Protsiuk profiled head of publishing at McKinsey and veteran newsroom leader Raju Narisetti.

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