‘We Really Have to Find a Different Way to Communicate’: Marty Baron on The Future of Journalism
Marty Baron has led some of the most impactful news operations in American journalism. As editor of The Boston Globe, he oversaw the investigation into clergy sexual abuse that earned the paper a Pulitzer Prize for public service in 2003 — work later depicted in the Academy Award-winning film “Spotlight”. As executive editor at The Washington Post from 2013 to 2021, he oversaw reporting that earned 11 Pulitzer Prizes, and grew the newsroom from 580 to nearly 1,000 journalists.
Since retiring, Baron has watched The Post struggle — through a contentious leadership transition, and a recent round of mass layoffs. In October 2024, he publicly called the paper’s decision to cancel an endorsement of presidential candidate Kamala Harris “cowardice, with democracy as its casualty.”
Baron spoke to the 2026 class of Nieman Fellows about what he feels went wrong at The Post, what traditional media need to do differently, and where he sees potential growth areas in the industry, even as it shrinks and consolidates.
Edited excerpts:
In traditional media, we’ve always focused on our authority — the reporting process — that is the highest priority. We haven’t paid enough attention to authenticity. We have authority generally, but people don’t give us credit for it. We have to figure out how to do that.
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