Suggestions
Becca Aaronson
Co-Founder & CPO, News Product Alliance
Becca Aaronson is the Chief Product Officer and Co-Founder of News Product Alliance.1 She is based in Austin and has over 500 connections on LinkedIn.1
Professional Background
Becca has been actively involved in the news product industry for several years. In April 2019, she joined a small group of news product professionals after the International Symposium on Online Journalism (#ISOJ) to discuss ways to better support product professionals in the news industry.2 This initiative eventually led to the formation of the News Product Alliance, which she co-founded.
Expertise and Interests
Becca demonstrates a keen interest in the intersection of technology and journalism. She has shared insights on how artificial intelligence might shape the future of journalism, drawing parallels to how technology has historically influenced editorial practices.3
Professional Development
Becca is committed to continuous learning and professional growth. She recently obtained a certification in Pathway to Digital Product Management from Bohubrihi, which covered key topics in digital product management.6
Industry Contributions
As a leader in the news product space, Becca has been actively working to support and develop the field:
- She has been instrumental in growing the News Product Alliance since its launch three years ago.5
- Becca has been involved in discussions about solutions for local news, indicating her interest in addressing challenges facing the journalism industry.4
Through her role at News Product Alliance and her active engagement in industry discussions, Becca Aaronson is contributing to the evolution of product management in the news industry and exploring how technology can shape the future of journalism.
Highlights
Huge WIN for News Product Alliance: We piloted our first in-person event, the NPA Forum in partnership with Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY last week! We connected our network of NPA product leaders and U.S. local news executives to collaborate on a strategic vision for addressing our industry’s greatest challenges. While we’re still processing the wealth of insights generated, we're excited to share a high-level overview of the solutions and themes that emerged: https://lnkd.in/gmknPZy4
We want to thank all of the NPA Forum participants, as their collective brightness will elevate the work we do moving forward. And say that the NPA Forum wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our event sponsors, Knight Foundation, The New York Times, Google News Initiative, University of Missouri-Columbia, and #Newspack. We appreciate their support.
The News Product Alliance is committed to providing ongoing support for news product professionals to tackle these challenges as we work together to transform the news industry. In the weeks to come, we will continue to share guides, blueprints, and other resources that came out from the Forum to address these topics in greater detail. Let us know how you’d like to be part of these efforts in Slack! Join us: newsproduct.org/slack
Five years ago today I joined a small group of news product professionals after #ISOJ to talk about how we could better support product professionals across the news industry. We connected on our shared values — our mission to help our news organizations build sustainable products that serve real audience needs. But we also connected on a shared feeling of isolation. Few in our newsrooms seemed to understand our roles, let alone support our work, and it was leading many of us to feel burnt out, and honestly, defeated. Being around each other — sharing ideas, inspiration, and optimism for a better news industry — helped.
That meeting led to the creation of the News Product Alliance, now a global community of more than 3,000 news product professionals who are committed to helping build a stronger news industry. Amidst the challenges of mass layoffs, misinformation and rapidly changing user behaviors, NPA members are leading collaborative problem-solving across the news industry to find ways to ensure our communities receive the news and information they need to make informed decisions and preserve democracy. This weekend, it felt like the News Product Alliance was coming full circle, as we led a workshop at ISOJ on how to build agile newsrooms (thank you Knight Center). While the challenges facing the news industry are very real, the News Product Alliance’s members give me hope every day that we have the leadership and tools to create the solutions we need.
Photos THEN and NOW, credit: Damon Kiesow, thank you!
