For years, journalism was all about breaking news, not explaining it. Now it seems that “making sense” of the news, by providing context and answering questions, might just be the best way for modern media organizations to thrive.

The concept of moving from “what happened” to “why it matters” can be seen  across legacy media companies, as well as news creators. A recent example comes from media giant CNN which announced that Kyla Scanlon, who has a reputation for turning complicated economic stories into clear, engaging journalism, would be joining to help create economic explainers.

“I think as publications try to grow their audiences and meet people where they are, explainers are such great tools to do that,” says Swati Sharma editor-in-chief of Vox Media, which is particularly known for its explanatory journalism. Sharma adds that explainers are particularly useful for next-generation audiences, arguing that “they’re just more used to that explainer tech format.” Research around user needs has also found that “explain it to me” and “make me smarter” are particularly important for younger users.

The sense that publishers are rethinking explainers as a growth product, especially for reaching these newer audiences, is backed by CNN’s positioning when hiring Scanlon. She would, according to the press release, be “educating and inspiring the next generation by making complex economic ideas clear, relatable, and meaningful.”

Explainers move from supporting role to growth strategy 

It is a shift that has not gone unnoticed. The latest report from WAN-IFRA and FT Strategies highlights explainers as a leading storytelling format in emerging newsroom models, especially in helping to understand complex issues.

Last year the Financial Times hired its first explainer editor, journalist John Reed, and a multimedia producer, Henry Esterson. Funded by the organization’s “future audiences initiative,” the pair have made a number of successful explainer videos, with Reed becoming the most engaged-with journalist on Instagram for younger visitors. He has also written a number of explainer articles, all with a registration wall on them, in order to capture some of these younger readers.

“The signal in the noise has become very important,” says Nic Newman, a Senior Research Associate at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. “There are whole companies that are dedicated to this, from Tortoise in the UK to Zetland in Finland, who are also chiming with a younger audience. They have managed to get younger people to pay for news, and a lot of that is explanatory journalism.”

“I see explainers as top of the funnel,” adds Sharma, “as they’re so essential to everything that we do.” And she says that in “big moments”, “we know people are going to want a straightforward, approachable explainer, and we can do that.”

Building habits, not just pageviews 

But although explainers can attract those younger audiences through search and social platforms, they also can also do a lot more, and with audiences of all ages. Explanatory journalism builds trust by making complex issues easier to understand as well as form critical habits by encouraging readers to return and read more.  

The term, of course, is broad, covering articles, newsletters, short videos, longer videos and podcasts. The Sensemaker newsletter by Tortoise was literally set up to “make sense” of the news, while the BBC World Service runs “The Inquiry” podcast which deep-dives into one particular topic.

“I think we’re all doing this because readers respond to it,” says Joel Weber, Head of Bloomberg Explains & Games  “You read a breaking headline and you’re like “What does it mean?” 

Bloomberg, of course, is a subscription business, but explainers are very much part of its offering, not only to engage existing subscribers more deeply, but also as a way for readers to get more acquainted with Bloomberg content.

“All of this is about coming to Bloomberg and meeting a reader in a way that doesn’t seem like the deep end of a swimming pool where we’re suddenly talking about bond yields,” Weber continues. “We try to hold the reader’s hand in a way that a breaking news story might not.”

The versatility of explainers means they may also help to combat the huge decline in trust that is affecting modern media (the latest Reuters report suggests this is at a historic low). Sharma says that is key to the format’s success. “It feels like there’s more and more of a desire to understand and grapple with the world, and also to reach people who are openly saying they don’t trust the media,” she says. “People tell me it’s hard to know what’s true and what isn’t.”

Why human explainers matter in the AI era 

Some of that mistrust may be fueled by AI, so it is ironic that publishers now find themselves competing with AI tools to help audiences navigate information overload.

Newman agrees that AI can do the “straightforward explanatory thing brilliantly,” but adds that “I do still think the human layer on top of it – whether that’s podcasts, articles or videos – is important protection against AI.”

With so much more competition out there, the bar for explainers is higher than ever, and so is focusing on your own audience’s needs. 

“What we don’t do as much anymore is just take any topic and explain it,” says Sharma. “We are really thinking about what our audience needs to know, if they are actually curious about a topic, and what they can’t get elsewhere. We ask: what’s something that’s hidden in plain sight that we can help people understand?”

Weber is similarly adamant that curation is an important part of the explainer process. “There are lots of things that we as Bloomberg will pass on when it comes to explainers,” he says. “Other outlets might chase traffic for traffic’s sake but we think about building a sustainable subscription model and serving that audience.”

In fact, Weber is keen to emphasize that Bloomberg explainers are not about traffic, but about trust and relationships. “We want to build habits with people,” he says. “ We want people to come back again and again because we’re a trusted source of information and we feel that’s a competitive advantage for us.”

As he points out, “we live in really confusing, chaotic times. Therefore, we have to continue to provide information to people that makes our content accessible. Explainers are perfect to do that.”

In an era of information overload, mistrust and declining search traffic, explainers are no longer a side product. Instead, they are becoming one of journalism’s core growth tools, demonstrating value, attracting new audiences and leading to deeper, longer-lasting relationships.