Monday 28th November: Some media leaders embrace hybrid working. Others not so much

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On the one hand, it's great how many newsrooms are now far more accommodating of flexible and hybrid working. But I couldn't help but be a little dispirited at how determined some media leaders seem to be to return back to pre-pandemic structures.

61% of respondents to Reuters' latest survey say their organisations have largely implemented hybrid and flexible working. However, that leaves a surprisingly large chunk of organisations who haven't.

This isn't just a 'do you go to the office or not' conversation. This is about flexibility in hours and working days as well. Policies like this are ABSOLUTELY KEY to keeping parents - and especially mothers - in work. Yes it's nice to have everyone in a building. But it's even nicer, and a better investment in the long run, to create an environment which supports talented women in the workforce.

Seems like a good time to dig out this from Terri White.

Some good news to start your week: trust in journalism is at highest level since Ipsos' Veracity survey began. It's still the fifth least-trusted profession in the UK though, just above estate agents, government ministers, advertising execs and politicians. Maybe some distance from the Brexit referendum is giving the profession a chance to gain trust again.

I'm spoiling you with good news this morning. The Medill Subscriber Engagement Index shows “that the bottom has not fallen out” as some feared would happen as the pandemic eased. Subscriptions have continued to rise at all three categories of newspapers tracked: large, medium and small.

Five successful media entrepreneurs spelled out the single biggest change they made to their business that drove the most success. Some interesting ideas in here, and I'd recommend reading his previous edition as well where 8 other creators shared what changed everything for them.

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New podcast:

For our final episode of this deep-dive season, we're joined by Internews CEO Meera Selva to look at how climate coverage is coming to the forefront of publisher strategies, and how journalists are evolving the way they communicate climate issues with audiences.

Our annual report launches THIS Wednesday November 30th! It's taking a look at everything that's occurred in media over 2022 - so it's a small task, obviously. Fill in the form here to pre-register for the report and get an invite to Wednesday's virtual launch featuring BuzzFeed’s Caroline Fenner, AdWeek’s Stephen Lepitak and Poool’s Ludivine Paquet.