Speculative Futures for Journalism

In a collaboration between IN/LAB and the global network News Alchemists, media professionals came together to co-create six speculative scenarios exploring the possible futures of journalism. Each scenario offers a distinct vision of what might lie ahead and invites the industry to reflect on the kind of future it wants to help shape. 

Authors and facilitators: Nikita Roy, Agnes Stenbom, Felicitas Carrique, Mattia Peretti, Belenn Rebecka Bekele, Saskia Falken, Shirish Kulkarni, Martin Schori, Annika Ruoranen, Molly Grönlund Müller.

BACKGROUND

In the fall of 2024, IN/LAB partnered with the News Alchemists, a global network of media professionals, to explore how journalism might evolve in the years ahead. The collaboration focused on the topic of trust in news media. 

WHAT WE DID

To kick off the collaboration, IN/LAB facilitated a digital scenario planning workshop with members of the News Alchemists network based in Argentina, Canada, Finland, South Africa, Sweden and the UK (England and Wales). Designed as an introduction to speculative scenario writing, the workshop focused on finding signals of change and creating mini-scenarios. Participants worked in small groups to identify and analyze signals within three focus areas related to trust:

• Personal relevance: The perceived relevance and usefulness of the news content. 

• Credibility of process: The perceived credibility of the process and people behind the news content.

• Diverse perspectives: How a range of perspectives are included or represented in the news. 
  

Together, they then explored how these signals might evolve and their potential consequences over time. After the workshop session, participants were tasked to continue the process individually or in small groups. Using a guided template, they selected one or two signals they found especially compelling and crafted a short scenario.

PROJECT OUTCOME

The collaboration resulted in six speculative scenarios. These are short stories that explore different ways journalism could evolve over the next 5-10 years. The scenarios are not predictions, but tools for inspiration, designed to challenge assumptions, and spark new ways of thinking about the future. Each one highlights tensions and possibilities, offering a starting point for deeper reflection and discussion about the choices shaping journalism today and tomorrow. The scenarios address the following questions: 

1. What if journalists shifted from being authors to facilitators, focusing on bridging diverse experiences? 

2. What if the relentless push for critical thinking and the fight against disinformation creates a generation of little conspiracy theorists – unable to trust anything?

3. What if the future of news wasn't just about staying informed, but finding your tribe?

4. What if decentralised networks replaced traditional media institutions for solving societal challenges?

5. What if extreme media concentration, coupled with the rise of urban news deserts, leads to an uninformed citizenry lacking diverse perspectives?

6. What if news organisations focused on creating value for people instead of mindlessly producing more and more content?

We are deeply grateful to the people who contributed their insight and creativity to this project. By stepping into these imagined futures, we hope to support newsrooms and media professionals in thinking more intentionally and courageously about the paths they want to take. You can find all the speculative scenarios in the report Speculative Futures for Journalism!

TEAM

Scenario authors

Agnes Stenbom (IN/LAB, Sweden)

Annika Ruoranen (Yle, Finland)

Felicitas Carrique (News Product Alliance, Argentina)

Martin Schori (Aftonbladet, Sweden)

Mattia Peretti (News Alchemists, UK/England)

Nikita Roy (Newsroom Robots Lab, Canada)

Saskia Falken (The Daily Maverick, South Africa)

Shirish Kulkarni (Media Cymru, UK/Wales)

Project facilitators

Belenn Rebecka Bekele (Program Manager, IN/LAB)

Molly Grönlund Müller (Community Researcher, IN/LAB)