Mario García on embracing vertical design and mastering AI

By Stella Xu

The survival and relevance of today's news organisations depends on AI literacy and pivoting from a traditional print-first approach while preserving the irreplaceable "scent of the human," noted García during his keynote address at WAN-IFRA's Asian Media Leaders Summit in Singapore.

Revolution 1: Shifting from rectangular production to vertical consumption

The first revolution demands a complete spatial and structural reset, García said.

Highlighting the disconnect between how content is produced and how it is consumed, García noted that while 75% of all content is conceptualised for rectangular viewing, such as traditional broadsheet print newspapers or laptop computers, 82% is actually consumed vertically on mobile devices.

This misalignment results in the "journalism of everywhere and interruptions,"where the focus is fractured by social media alerts and notifications. When content isn't built for the small screen, reader engagement plummets to an average of just 13 seconds.

The fix is non-negotiable: newsrooms must plan all content for the "small platform first"and then adapt it for larger screens. This forces editors and writers to embrace a digitally minded, visual-first approach.

The traditional "print mentality"of never interrupting text must be replaced with a "write and show"method, creating a narrative flow akin to a WhatsApp conversation, where visuals are woven directly into the text.

"The world is consuming it vertically. You must write from small to large platforms, forcing the mentality of the editors to be digitally minded," García said.

The measurable return on this shift is dramatic, with engaged time spent on a story surging from 13 seconds to between 120 and 140 seconds. This mobile-first discipline also streamlines workflow, eliminating the need for a separate "multimedia team," as García argued that "everybody is a multimedia journalist."Print retains its value not as a digital imitation, but as a showcase for things digital cannot do best, such as maximising impact with "big photos."

Revolution 2: Leveraging AI utility and mitigating superintelligence risk

The second revolution, AI, did not arrive gradually, it "kicked the door open."Dr. García framed AI not as a replacement for the journalist, but as a powerful assistant. He sees it as a crane,capable of assisting with heavy lifting and data, and a "thinking companion."Newsrooms can immediately leverage AI for generating story ideas, helping with interview questions, transcribing documents, and automating complex tasks like print edition layout. The mantra is clear: all AI begins with humans.

García noted that AI excels because "AI draws or writes what it findsfrom its library of humanity," while a human can draw or write what they feel.However, the rapid development curve introduces a critical threat.

García warned of the potential for the "rapid emergence of ASI [Artificial Super Intelligence] by 2027,"which "could outpace human ability to understand, predict, or control AI behaviour, posing significant risks if not properly managed."

To harness AI's utility and mitigate risk, the key skill is Prompt Engineering. Journalists must become experts in communicating with the machine, learning to give explicit commands. A good prompt, for example, starts by putting a "hat on the robot,"such as: "Act as if you are an expert on…"All information taken from AI must always be vetted and double-checked for "hallucinations."

Furthermore, AI operates under the principle of connectionism, only connecting things that are already connected. A human, however, possesses the unique ability to connect unrelated things, a vital function of creativity and innovation that AI cannot replicate.

The ultimate differentiator: Preserving the 'scent of the human'

In the age of AI, the journalist's mandate is to be superhumanand refuse to settle for "good enough."

Journalists must leave their indelible "scent of the human"on every story.

This "scent" is generated through emotional intentionality, deep authenticity, and personal experience, appealing directly to the senses in a way data cannot.

García strongly advocated for integrating first-person stories and sensorial journalism, urging reporters to pay greater attention to how they begin a story, putting their own distinctive mark on the first paragraph.

Newsrooms must also invest by 2026 in making their entire archive of local stories verifiable for AI training, recognising that these archives hold the most valuable, unique data.

García concluded with the timeless truth that transcends both revolutions: the core of good journalism has not changed.

"A good story is still what it's all about," García said. If a story is compelling, "people will follow you regardless of the format or platform," he added.

WAN-IFRA External Contributor

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