nxtedition – Telling the right story by mastering multiplatform content creation in today’s media landscape
Adam Leah, nxtedition
Great storytelling isn’t just about what we say; it’s about how, where, and when we say it. In an era where content is consumed across a wide array of devices and platforms, delivering the right story to the right person at the right time is more complex than ever, and probably one of our industry’s biggest challenges. Content creators must adapt their storytelling to suit each platform and audience, while keeping the core message consistent.
Looking back, broadcast was relatively straightforward; one story, one way. But now in 2025, the way we create and consume content has changed dramatically. The platforms that once defined our workflows now look quite different. Traditional broadcast and newer digital platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram all serve distinct audiences, each with their own expectations. How do we ensure that content can adapt seamlessly to each of these? How can creators maintain the heart of a story while ensuring it works across such diverse channels?
This is where modular journalism can play a part. The shift toward breaking stories into structured, reusable components allows content creators to reassemble these pieces for different formats and audiences. A single news package transforms into multiple assets: a short-form video for TikTok, a longer explainer for YouTube, a deeper analysis for the website, and the more traditional broadcast package. The core story remains intact, but its presentation adapts to the platform and the audience it serves.
While this shift in how we tell stories is essential, technology alone can’t drive it. The real change happens when technology is paired with creativity and a shift in culture. The newsrooms getting it right today are those that have embraced the idea that technology enables creativity, but it’s the people who ultimately drive the transformation. Real change comes when journalists and creatives rethink workflows, cultivate platform expertise, and collaborate across previously siloed teams. It’s about more than just adopting new tools. It’s about adapting mindsets and approaches.
This is where agile production models come into play. The rigid, sequential production systems that once dominated the industry can’t meet the speed and flexibility modern storytelling demands. To keep up, organizations are adopting workflows that support simultaneous content creation across multiple platforms. These agile setups not only allow for faster iteration but also enable collaboration across teams, regardless of location. Then implementing into these agile platforms allows a lot of utility to operations. AI doesn’t replace creatives, but it frees them from routine utility tasks like transcription, translation, logging and tagging, so they can focus more on telling the stories that matter whilst easily finding the content to match due to AI indexing.
Yet, with these new possibilities come new challenges. As stories get reshaped for different platforms, the pressure to maintain journalistic integrity increases. Each version of the story, whether it’s a 30-second TikTok clip or a deep-dive YouTube video, needs to adhere to the same standards of accuracy and ethics. This is where creativity plays a vital role. While new formats and tools may be involved, the heart of good journalism remains unchanged. The best content creators will be those who combine platform expertise with strong editorial values, maintaining integrity while maximizing engagement.
Looking ahead, the complete virtualization of production will further transform how we work. With microservice technologies content creators will be able to work from anywhere, with powerful production tools at their fingertips. But the real game-changer will be how content is delivered. Through object-based broadcasting, content can be personalized to the individual viewer, ensuring they receive exactly the version of the story they need, when they need it. We’re moving beyond the idea of reaching the right audience at the right time to reaching each person with the story most relevant to them.
In an age where content is abundant, but attention is scarce, success will belong to those who can match the right stories with the right audiences. This requires more than just adopting new technologies. It demands rethinking how stories are conceived, created, and distributed. The creative potential of modular journalism, combined with agile production and utility AI, ensures that stories stay relevant, engaging, and impactful, no matter the platform.
If we don’t use these new tools in the same way we used the old tools, only then will we achieve the full potential of these new technologies, embracing these changes while staying true to the craft of storytelling.
