August 31, 2023
Welcome to Trusted Journalism Matters, where we chat to World Media Group members about what quality journalism means to them. This month we meet Kim Vinnell, an international broadcast journalist and host of Reuters flagship daily news podcast, Reuters World News. We’re delighted to have Kim as our host for this year’s World Media Awards.
Here, she talks about the ‘glocality’ that makes Reuters unique, her faith in deep-rooted, in-depth journalism, and why she believes journalists renowned for their impartial and factual reporting and will continue to be prized.
Why does trusted journalism matter to you and what attracted you to working for Reuters?
Now more than ever, we need journalism we can trust. The media landscape is polarised, commercial priorities have seen a shift toward opinion as opposed to fact, AI presents all-new challenges, and context and nuance is so often lost.
Working for Reuters has meant I can surround myself with journalists of the highest calibre, who are drawn to this profession because they believe in the importance of an informed public and independent journalism. I was also drawn to Reuters Trust Principles, which are the drivers behind all of our work, and which enable us to maintain the trust we have built over many years in this industry.
Tell us about the ethos at the heart of Reuters.
Reuters values integrity, independence and freedom from bias, while always striving to innovate and be agile in delivering on its mission to bring ‘the world to the world.’ Our factual and unbiased journalism allows us to maintain a leading position in the fast-paced ever-changing journalism landscape.
What is it that your audience looks for in Reuters content and have you experienced any behavioural changes in recent years?
As a fairly recent recruit, I’m probably the wrong person to ask about behavioural changes of our audience! However, in my career across networks and outlets, I have noticed a clear shift toward ensuring news is understandable (goodbye news-speak), that content goes to where the audience is (multi-platform approaches) and that people (despite all the predications) are still willing to put in the time to read, watch or listen to quality journalism.
Why is an international perspective so important in current times?
A global perspective has always been important. But I believe we are now more aware of it than ever. From the climate crisis, to understanding how the war in Ukraine impacts global energy and food prices, to the Covid pandemic and the ensuing vaccine inequality… we are faced daily with local stories that impact every industry and community around the world.
That’s part of what makes Reuters truly unique. Our ‘glocality’ – the combination of our deep local expertise in the 200 locations we report in around the world with the global perspective and reach of our newsroom of more than 2500 journalists.
What innovation or story are you personally most proud of?
I am immensely proud of our Reuters World News podcast team. We are a small team which only launched six months ago – but already we are surpassing expectations on listenership, retention, and audio production standards. If you haven’t listened to the podcast yet, please do give it a go! It’s a ten minute daily global news podcast, which takes our listeners around the world, to cover the must-know stories of the day, utilising the incredible breadth of Reuters global journalistic talent.
How do you visualise the future of the journalism?
I think in-depth, deeply reported journalism will continue to take centre stage. I think trained journalists with reputations for being impartial and factual will continue to be prized, especially as AI and its ‘hallucinations’ come to the fore.