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Conference programme – 14 May

Main stage

9:30 – 9:40 Welcome

9:40 – 10:00 Keynote speech
We’re entering a second act of AI in media. The phase of experimentation is giving way to mainstream adoption, and AI is becoming part of everyday workflows. This is changing how content gets made, faster, cheaper, and in much greater volume. But it’s also changing how content reaches people, with AI-driven interfaces increasingly shaping access to audiences. As a result, we’re moving from a world where media companies use AI, to one where people experience media through AI systems themselves. That shift is starting to reshape how content is discovered and what gets seen. So the real question is no longer whether to engage with AI, but how to position for a future where machines not platforms or publishers, are the main gateway to information.

10:00 – 10:40 A new framework for editorial decision making: The blurry lines of journalism, activism and content creation
This panel brings together a youth-led newsroom editor, a Ukrainian digital storyteller, and a platform researcher to share practical strategies for navigating credibility, risk, and reach when every publishing choice is scrutinised — and sometimes misinterpreted — by both audiences and algorithms.

10:40 – 11:00 The Diary of a CEO: Learning how to fail correctly
Learn from Flightstory’s failure and experimentation desk about building a culture where mistakes are seen as stepping stones, not disasters.

Coffee break

11:30 – 12:00 Reinventing The Economist: Inside Economist Insider
Luke Bradley Jones, president of The Economist Group, will share the strategy behind their new subscriber-exclusive platform and what it means for the future of quality journalism.

12:00 – 12:45 Ask-me-anything: Reddit for news publishers
Get your questions answered directly from the source – discover how journalists can use Reddit as a powerful tool for community-building, sourcing stories and audience engagement

13:00 -14:00 Lunch

14:00 – 14:15 How is Britain doing? Building Times Data
Tom Calver, data editor of The Times, introduces Times Data, a data-driven section that seeks to explain the state of a nation. In this 15-minute case study, he’ll share the editorial thinking behind the project, how AI and automation were both helpful and hindering, and how early reader feedback helped shape the section. 

14:15 – 15:00 Show and tell with creator-led news brands: harsh realities and learning curves
The journalists behind London Centric, Black Current News and Millennial Masters reveal what it truly takes to launch your own independent news startup and the lessons learned in the process

Coffee break

15:20 – 15:30 Session TBC

15:30 – 16:00 Live journalism with The New Humanitarian
Explore how performative arts and journalism can come together to bring stories to life and reach new audiences.

16:00 – 16:20 Closing remarks

16:20 – Networking drinks

18:00 Conference concludes

Workshops

• Online safety clinic for journalists with Dr Rebecca Whittington
• Blueprint for launching an editorial product on TikTok, with Erika Marzano
  

Final agenda subject to change