Our Takeaways from the World News Media Congress in Krakow

The bustling city of Krakow played host to this year's WAN-IFRA World News Media Congress, and what an event it was! This annual gathering of news leaders, innovators, and thinkers once again proved to be an important forum for discussing the challenges and opportunities that transform our industry. With sessions that sparked insightful debates and highlighted best practices, the Congress left attendees with a treasure trove of actionable ideas.  

If you couldn’t join us this year, we’ve recapped four specific sessions that stood out for their impactful takeaways, covering everything from AI’s role in newsrooms to how publishers can connect with younger audiences. Follow below.  

Nikita Roy, a Harvard-recognised AI futurist and the founder of Newsroom Robots Lab, captivated the audience with her analysis of how artificial intelligence is changing the game for news media in especially audience engagement. She revealed how AI tools are transforming search behaviour, collapsing multi-click journeys into single conversational answers, and how these tools are raising audience engagement via chatbots.  

From Sweden’s Aftonbladet, which launched a multilingual chatbot to help users search archives, to The San Francisco Chronicle’s “Chowbot” guiding users through food and restaurant coverage, AI is no longer just a tool but a trusted partner in delivering contextual, personalised information.  

Nikita Roy also forecasted the emergence of “voice-first” interfaces, led by Gen Z and Gen Alpha’s growing use of voice assistants. Her insights on venture capital flooding into this space pointed to an exciting (and also disruptive) trend for newsrooms willing to innovate.  

AI is not only assisting audiences but meeting their preferences for conversational, contextual, and hyper-personalised content. Newsrooms need to move beyond seeing AI as an efficiency tool and start considering it as a way to revolutionise audience relationships. Something that for some publishers can sound like a bucket of ice-cold water pouring down their back, if their tech stack isn't ready to adapt.  
 

The discussion brought together by Dean Roper, Editor-in-Chief at WAN-IFRA, included Lisa Irenius (Svenska Dagbladet), Dmitry Shishkin (Ringier Media International), and Xenia Daum (Kleine Zeitung), who came together to share lessons from their leadership journeys.  

The panellists collectively outlined how today’s leaders must focus on empathy, adaptability, and trust. Dmitry Shishkin advocated for humility and listening as key strategies for leadership, adding that, “You should believe in people and then leave them alone.” Xenia Daum underscored the importance of empathy, sharing her approach to leading during difficult times, such as overseeing staff reductions. Something many publishers have been dealing with over the last decade.  

Lisa Irenius rounded out the discussion by championing unique organisational structures. She emphasised how flexibility and alignment in resources can put strategic focus back on what matters – journalism.  

Leadership in news media today requires a mix of empathy, adaptability, and a willingness to align structures with unique organisational needs. The human-centric approach is at the heart of driving teams toward success and by sharing resources such as tech platform, tools, etc. the focus can be brought back to maintaining the individuality of the brand.  

WAN-IFRA, led by Ezra Eeman, also presented findings from a recent survey exploring publishers' use of AI. While 84% of respondents identified AI as an important tool for saving time, only 59% found it genuinely helpful right now. The discrepancy between expectations and present reality was apparent across categories such as productivity, better user experiences, and cost savings.  

The survey highlighted obstacles preventing AI's full potential in newsrooms, including a lack of technical talent, concerns about accuracy, and challenges with integration and measuring ROI. Despite these hurdles, 57% of respondents indicated that AI’s future benefits justified its costs.  

The gap between what publishers expect from AI and its current outcomes presents an opportunity for businesses to refine their AI strategies – and invest in vendors who can assist as the tech expert, as talent tend to move towards IT companies. Addressing these barriers collaboratively will be essential in realising AI’s potential in enhancing productivity and driving revenue.  

Liesbeth Nizet of Mediahuis delivered a thought-provoking session on how publishers can capture Gen Z’s fragmented attention. Her approach emphasised listening to these younger audiences’ frustrations, such as feeling left out or overwhelmed by traditional news formats.  

She outlined Mediahuis’ four-pillar strategy, which includes developing Gen Z-focused editorial propositions, crafting video-led but hyperlocal content, and building internal platforms to share lessons across teams. Nizet’s call to replace fear with curiosity resonated with attendees, encouraging them to adopt new practices that foster belonging and authenticity among their younger audiences.  

To engage younger audiences, publishers must shift from traditional news delivery to authentic, inclusive, and personalised conversations. Building trust through transparency and hyperlocal initiatives is critical.  

Lastly, Stibo DX had the honour of hosting one of the in-congress sessions featuring Samira Lazarovic from RTL/ntv.de speaking to how RTL is consolidating their CMSs to bring better, converged formats to their audiences while building the platform for future innovation. As news audience habits evolve, so do the boundaries between publishing and broadcasting. Newsrooms once rooted in a single output format—be it print or linear TV—are converging towards a shared middle ground. In this space, content is created and distributed across video, audio, text, and mixed formats, all to meet the expectations of an always-on, multi-platform audience.

In the session, Samira explored media convergence and how to balance strategy, technology and culture together with Christoph Jäntsch from Stibo DX. Some of the questions answered were: How do traditional broadcasters adapt their workflows to integrate text-based digital coverage? What does it take for digital publishers to embrace the speed and complexity of video and audio production? And what are the key organisational and technical challenges of building a truly cross-channel newsroom?

All in all, the WAN-IFRA Congress 2025 in Krakow offered much more than the usual industry discussions; it ignited a sense of possibility in a rapidly evolving industry. From harnessing the power of AI to fostering leadership rooted in empathy and adaptability, the insights shared were both forward-thinking and actionable.