In a Post-Platform Media World, Destinations Matter Most

In this featured session Slate Editor-in-Chief Hillary Frey will unravel the many winding paths of major digital media shifts over the last few years and lay out the case for how newsrooms can become critical destinations for audiences.

Hillary’s expertise brings a wide-ranging perspective; she’s worked for some of the most widely recognized digital media outlets in the U.S. Her work, alongside many other women in similar roles, encapsulated some of the boldest editorial initiatives in recent years. And like many in the ONA community, she experienced the tech industry’s attempts to prop up digital media with ad revenue, venture capital infusions and exposure on far-reaching social platforms…until those efforts stopped.

Now, in the wake of industry-wide layoffs, the shuttering of a Pulitzer Prize-winning newsroom and a digital behemoth filing for bankruptcy, it’s time for some critical introspection. In her talk, Hillary will dissect how we got here, why blame is often misplaced during crises and the possibility of newsrooms (and homepages!) once again becoming a hub for news traffic.