From gatekeepers to guides of People Who Do Journalism

Kate Towsey introduced "People Who Do Research" (PWDR) in 2019 to recognize how research happens naturally in organizations. I just watched Zoë Glas's excellent 2023 PWDR conference presentation where she reframes it as "democratization by researcher, not of research." The idea isn't to replace expertise but to enable its thoughtful spread.

I'm sharing this because I hope it offers a helpful frame for so many in international journalism who are like me now wondering about what's next. I'm asked a lot about funding sources and jobs, and often don't have the answers people were hoping to hear.

Information sharing is already happening everywhere, whether we like it or not. For journalists, this means the real question isn't finding another place or source of funding to create more content – it's how to be intentional about one's contribution and playing a constructive role that adds genuine value.In 2019,

PWDR offered an expansive, forward-looking perspective to a group of professionals that felt threatened by a new reality. What if we thought of our work similarly - less as an industry to protect, but as a craft and mindset to spread more widely - creating space for People Who Do Journalism (PWDJ)?

Similar to Research Operations in companies, we could create new roles focused on facilitating better information spaces in societies – whether through deep expertise or by guiding work that's already happening organically.

This reframing opens up possibilities for lots of non-traditional roles, while preserving and evolving the craft of journalism. By leaving the standard job definitions, you're not letting go of the craft. You're adapting to the new normal, and you can do enormous good.