What is “News Product”?
Product is the discipline of creating value. So in journalism, “news product” is about creating value in news.
Yet the way we talk about it can be confusing. “Product thinking” refers to a mindset or a strategic approach to work. “Products” are the things we’re building, like newsletters, websites and apps. And “product” roles are teams or individuals managing this process.
This guide will help you make sense of these terms and understand the role of “news product” within news organizations.
The emergence of “news product”
In the 1990s, a news organization’s product was the newspaper. Local publishers operated in closed markets, primarily competing with each other. The business model was simple: sell trust, subscriptions, and advertising. A strict divide between editorial and business operations protected journalistic integrity.
Then came the Internet. Suddenly, competition was everywhere, as information previously available only in the newspaper—classifieds, movie times, weather forecasts—was now accessible online, abundant, and often free. Social platforms and search engines began siphoning away attention and advertising dollars.
Most news organizations were slow to adapt to the decline of their core product, the newspaper. Social media was handled by interns. And technology teams were treated as service desks, not strategic partners. Eventually, newsrooms shifted their focus to building digital products—apps, newsletters, registration flows, and membership models—but they still often struggle to deliver a unified strategy or sustainable infrastructure.
Disruption from new technology, like the Internet, is now a constant challenge. Whether it’s mobile phones, algorithms or AI, the rapid evolution of technology leads to continuous changes in audience behavior and expectations, reshaping how people discover, consume, and engage with news.
To survive in this ecosystem, cross-functional coordination is urgent. That’s where news product comes in: not as a replacement for journalism or business strategy, but as the connective tissue that aligns editorial, audience, technology, and revenue teams to deliver measurable impact as we evolve.
In modern newsrooms, product leaders connect and amplify the decision-making power of editorial, audience, technology, and revenue teams. They do this by listening deeply, elevating others’ expertise, and guiding cross-functional collaboration—so the organization can move forward with clarity, purpose, and measurable impact.
So what is “news product” today? At the News Product Alliance, we define “news product” in three ways:
News product is a mindset or way of thinking.
News product is a good or service.
News product is a function within an organization.
Now, let’s dig into each definition.
1. News Product is a Mindset
At its core, news product is a way of thinking that puts the audience at the center and uses strategic alignment to solve real problems. Product thinkers in journalism lead collaborative problem-solving, connect dots across disciplines, and keep the organization focused on outcomes, not just outputs.
They ask:
Why are we doing this?
Who is it for?
What does success look like?
How can we work together—across editorial, tech, business, and audience—to make it happen?
In this sense, product thinking isn’t confined to a team. It’s a culture that should exist across the newsroom, marketing, tech, and leadership. It’s about relentless usefulness, smart prioritization, and challenging assumptions. A product mindset views content not as the end, but as part of a larger experience. It’s not just doing journalism—it’s building the systems that allow journalism to thrive.
2. News Product is a Good or Service
A news product is any experience your organization creates for an audience that solves a user need and supports your mission.
It could be:
A website or mobile app
A premium news service
A local membership model
A personalized audio feature
News products enable an exchange of value—attention, money, trust, participation—between the business and its customer that supports sustainability. Those that are most successful have clear alignment between what the audience values and what the news organization gains from the exchange.
Products constantly evolve. They move through lifecycles—discovery, launch, growth, maturity, and sometimes decline. And at every stage, good product strategy helps make smart decisions about what to improve, pivot, or retire.
3. News Product is an Organizational Function
Finally, product management is a role — and a critical one. It might not always come with a formal title (especially in smaller organizations), but it exists anywhere someone is aligning strategy across departments, facilitating collaboration, prioritizing user needs, and driving outcomes.
In healthy news organizations, product roles operate at every structural level:
Product Managers lead cross-functional teams, execute product strategies, and advocate for users with data-informed decisions.
Directors of Product set team goals, align product and company strategy, and empower product managers to deliver meaningful outcomes.
Chief Product Officers define the long-term product vision, connect product strategy to business health, and build a culture of collaboration, innovation, and audience-centricity.
True product leadership amplifies the decision-making power of editorial, audience, tech, and revenue teams. It’s not about taking control—it’s about listening deeply, elevating others’ expertise, and guiding the process so the whole team moves forward with clarity and purpose.
Think of a newsroom like a vehicle:
Editorial is the engine — it powers the mission.
Audience engagement is the steering — it helps navigate, respond, and stay on course.
Revenue is the fuel — essential to keep moving.
Technology is the suspension and chassis — it carries the load and keeps everything stable over bumps.
Product is the grease — ensuring every part moves together smoothly, intentionally, and efficiently.
Without product, systems grind, priorities clash, and momentum stalls.
That’s why the news organizations that invest in product teams and give them strategic influence are the ones seeing the most success. Building a true product culture means ensuring product thinking is embedded not just in roles, but in how the entire organization works—collaboratively, iteratively, and audience-first.
