5 questions for 2 new editors-in-chief

Ines Kurschat, editor-in-chief Luxemburger Wort

1. What motivated you to become editor-in-chief of Luxemburger Wort?

Leading the Luxemburger Wort with its 175-year publishing tradition into the digital era as its first female editor-in chief is an honour and a challenge I had to accept. I’m excited to support my colleagues in the newsroom to publish comprehensive stories about and around Luxembourg that readers will find surprising, compelling and reliable. The Wort is the biggest brand in a multilingual integrated newsroom with four other brands, and I’m confident that together we can build meaningful synergies tackling diversified user needs while addressing the particularity of each brand.

2. Which three words best describe your vision of journalism?

User-centric, reliable, diverse.

3. What is the role of Luxemburger Wort in today’s rapidly changing world?

For more than 175 years, the Luxemburger Wort has been the biggest and most important newspaper in Luxembourg. Today, it has taken up the challenge to adapt to the needs of an increasingly digital audience. Digital transformation is about more than a strategy review according to changing reading habits, an updated system landscape and a solid data strategy. Wort journalists strive to respond to diversified user needs and a fast-changing news world with habit- and content-related challenges. Meaning: more compelling storytelling, more exclusive stories, more self-produced cross-media content.

4. What makes Luxemburger Wort unique?

The Wort provides information and background stories about all important areas of the multinational and multilingual Luxembourgish society, that are relevant, reliable and relatable. Our stories address multiple perspectives and user needs. Nonetheless, instead of focusing on a full supply of information, the Wort delivers news stories and background that the reader needs for their everyday life and that help them find their way in an increasingly complex society.

5. How will you reach and engage younger audiences?

The Wort has reinforced its presence on social networks such as Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok through providing more video content that explains news, and that is personal and entertaining. The aim is to introduce potential young future readers to the brand. The Wort is also on WhatsApp with an easily accessible and comprehensive news feed for younger people who would like their news on their phone.

We strongly believe we can only attract younger audiences if we are credible. So, our first step towards more credibility will be to prepare our organisation to become more agile, explorative and dynamic from the inside. We’ve recently created an onboarding process for our new journalists where they can exchange, where they are encouraged to get involved with team projects and where they are empowered to develop their own ideas.

Matthew Karnitschnig, editor-in-chief Euractiv

1. What motivated you to become editor-in-chief of Euractiv?

Originally, I was a bit sceptical I was the right person, but the leadership of both Euractiv and Mediahuis were very convincing. The key for me was the challenge of transforming Euractiv, which had been a fairly sleepy news outlet before Mediahuis acquired it, into a formidable force on EU policy. I could see that Mediahuis was committed to the project.

2. Which three words best describe your vision of journalism?

Hold power (to) account.

3. What is the role of Euractiv in today’s rapidly changing world?

Euractiv has an opportunity to become the leading European voice on EU affairs. The goal is for it to be not just one of many voices on EU policy and politics, but the dominant voice, a must-read for people in Brussels and the capitals.

4. What makes Euractiv unique?

That we are actually European. Our main competitors are based in the US or are UK-based globalist publications. We are based in Brussels and rooted in Europe with a newsroom of more than 60 journalists from across the continent who speak every European language. 

5. How will you reach and engage younger audiences?

Europe’s youth tends to be much more enthusiastic about the promise of the EU than older generations. We want to harness that enthusiasm with the help of the technologies we can access through Mediahuis to offer them not just content that is relevant to their generation but a user experience that will engage them and keep them coming back for more.