The Athletic changing journalism for the better

Out of the incredible people, we’ve gotten to talk to so far this week (as of 10:57 a.m. Friday), I think the panel with writers from The Athletic was the best discussion we’ve had. The insight from David Aldridge, Marcus Thompson, Nicole Auerbach, Kendra Andrews and Ryan Clark about how the company is run and why it’s revolutionizing the journalism industry was fantastic. It’s still a new company, launching just over four years ago, and as a company that relies on subscriptions, it easily could’ve failed. Because of the work of these journalists, though, we’re seeing a new model that’s been sustainable so far, and it seems like they all truly love what they’re doing. Auerbach was vocal about how much more fulfilling it is to do the reporting and writing she is now than the 300-word stories that newspaper beat writers are consistently pumping out to keep up with breaking news. Aldridge left a TV job with Turner to become the editor-in-chief at The Athletic D.C. Every one of these journalists changed paths from the traditional print newspaper industry to the ever-evolving digital news industry, and not only do they see The Athletic as the future of journalism, but they seem beyond proud to be a part of making that happen. After getting the chance to talk to these five journalists, I can’t help but pull for them and the company to really succeed in the future.