Media is changing. So is my perspective.
The following lines might sound like an ode to Axios. But let them be.
On the sixth week of the whirlwind that is the WPI fellowship, our journey continued in Washington D.C. After visiting a dozen local media organizations across six states, it was finally time to see how the big outlets do their job.
For years, my colleagues and I have admired Axios and wondered, “How do they always break the news first?” Want to know what today’s headlines are? Axios has you covered: simple, short, accurate – journalism distilled to its essence. Whether it’s American politics or the war in Ukraine, somehow they’re usually the first to report it. Their one-liners, often cited by agencies like Reuters, sometimes sound almost too good to be true. And yet, they’re accurate.
And then there’s the newsroom itself. It’s as cool as their attitude. From the snack corner cleverly named “Snaxios” to the meeting room labeled with the wonderfully snarky sign “Our Thought Bubble,” everything reflects the brand’s character: smart, sharp, and a little playful. It’s a place that doesn’t take itself too seriously, except when it comes to reporting.
I’ve always believed good journalism lives in the long form – in the space between the lines, in the layers of explanation. That is also how I do my journalism, it’s often too long for TV broadcasting, but for me, the only way is to tell the full story, to explain why events matter and how the dots connect. However, after visiting Axios, I realized they aren’t skipping the background. They’re distilling it, finding the essence that allows a reader to understand a complex story in a few sentences.
“Smart brevity,” as they call it, isn’t about simplifying the world. It’s about cutting noise, not corners. Every headline, every bullet, carries the weight of solid reporting and sharp news judgment. It’s the same craft I’ve spent my career practicing – just delivered with precision. It’s a reminder that good journalism isn’t measured by length but by clarity and impact.
This approach didn’t happen by chance. The audience has moved. People no longer wait for the evening news or the front page. They scroll. They swipe. They read on the go. For many, their first and sometimes only contact with the news is through social media. Axios mastered meeting people where they already are – through clean, tight writing and newsletters. And they have become a morning ritual for thousands, delivering not just headlines and context in seconds.
In a world of shrinking attention spans and endless notifications, clarity is gold. Axios shows that even in short form, reporting can be rigorous, thorough, and reliable. For journalists like me, it’s both a challenge and an inspiration: How can we keep our stories deep and meaningful, while also making them quick and easily accessible for the modern audience?
I walked out of their newsroom with one clear thought: Good reporting doesn’t need more words. It needs the right ones.
