Svenska Dagbladet builds AI reader panel to challenge newsroom assumptions

Tue, 13 Oct 2026 15:04:28 +0000

The Swedish newspaper is creating virtual reader groups from 60 in-depth interviews, giving editorial and product teams a new way to test ideas and explore audience perspectives.

Svenska Dagbladet is building an AI tool designed to bring its journalists and product teams closer to readers by letting staff question virtual focus groups trained on in-depth interviews with members of the paper’s audience. The idea, which has been under discussion since last autumn, is to provide quick, practical feedback that can inform both editorial and commercial decisions, rather than relying solely on readership data or time-consuming traditional surveys.

According to Dagens Media, the system is built on 60 one-hour interviews with readers and listeners in SvD’s target group, including both subscribers and non-subscribers. Each conversation covered broad topics such as how people consume news and how they make everyday decisions, giving the model enough material to construct fictional panel members who can answer questions that were not directly asked in the original interviews. So far, 28 virtual panellists have been created, with a full set of 60 expected once the project is complete.

Inanna Lallerstedt, SvD’s head of product and growth, said the experiment is intended to test a different use of AI from the one most media companies have focused on so far. Rather than generating or editing content, she said the newspaper is trying to use the technology as support for human judgement. Akvelina Karlberg, the editorial project manager, said the deliberately broad interviews were designed to give the model enough material to build a plausible fictional reader profile. Lisa Övermyr, Schibsted’s engineering director, said the aim is not statistical certainty but a way to generate hypotheses and fresh input in daily discussions.

The panel is divided into audience segments, allowing staff to ask questions of specific groups or use preset combinations such as all panellists, the moderator’s choice, age bands, men, women, subscribers or non-subscribers. The system has first been rolled out as a Slack application and has now also been added to the newsroom CMS, with the intention of making it a natural part of the workflow. Övermyr said one strength of the tool is that it can help staff step back from their own assumptions and look at a story through a user’s eyes.

SvD’s project is distinct from the more top-down AI mandates that have emerged at some other media groups. Lallerstedt said the initiative came from within the organisation, with editorial and technical teams working closely together from the outset, alongside a group of newsroom "super users" who were brought in early. Staff have also taken part in workshops to learn how the panel works, as the company looks for the strongest day-to-day use cases.

The next stage is likely to involve broader internal testing and new applications, including using the AI panel to assess the home page and exploring whether it can be built into analysis tools or automated workflows. The team is also considering whether it could be used to test marketing ideas or help shape product development at a very early stage. Lallerstedt said the point is not to find a definitive answer, but to widen the range of perspectives available when decisions are being made.

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Source: Noah Wire Services

World News Day rallies global media as trust in journalism hits record low

Tue, 13 Oct 2026 08:03:02 +0000

More than 1,000 news organisations are joining a global campaign to defend fact-based journalism as audiences increasingly turn to social media, influencers and AI for news.

More than 1,000 news organisations across the world are backing World News Day on Monday, in a coordinated effort to defend the role of journalism at a time when organisers say the industry is facing an existential challenge. Outlets including The New York Times, Reuters and the Kyiv Independent are publishing editorials, advertisements and cartoons to underline the value of trusted reporting and the public interest function of journalism.

The campaign, which first began in 2018, has broadened into a global show of support for fact-based news, with AFP also confirming its participation alongside hundreds of other organisations, media associations and individuals from more than 100 countries. Organisers say the message remains the same: that trusted journalism matters because it helps explain events, scrutinise power and serve citizens and democracy.

The timing is stark. The Reuters Institute’s Digital News Report 2026 says trust in news has fallen to its lowest level since the study began in 2015, based on a survey of almost 100,000 people across 48 markets. The institute says social media and video networks have now overtaken news organisations’ own websites, apps and television as the most widely used routes to news, while the public’s relationship with journalism is increasingly shaped by anxiety, disengagement and cynicism.

The report also points to a growing role for creators, influencers and AI chatbots in news discovery, even as those channels are trusted less than traditional outlets. In that environment, Branko Brkic, who co-organises World News Day, said news organisations that once competed for audience and influence now need to act collectively. "If we do not change the game, we are just not going to exist," he said, reflecting the sense among organisers that journalism must adapt quickly if it is to retain both relevance and credibility.

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Source: Noah Wire Services

Tomorrow's Publisher 2 Audiences

Svenska Dagbladet builds AI reader panel to challenge newsroom assumptions

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World News Day rallies global media as trust in journalism hits record low

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