Bad news seems to never stop coming. That’s why the veteran Argentine journalist Chani Guyot is committed to journalism with purpose and impact. He says he’s convinced there are stories and lives worth telling because of the change they generate.
For 21 years, first at the newspaper La Nación—where he also served as the top editor—and later at the outlet he founded in 2018, Red/Acción, Guyot focused on telling those stories. At Red/Acción, he developed his formula for human-centered journalism through stories of people responding to major challenges.
In August 2024, he announced the outlet was closing, citing, among other reasons, that it could not withstand “the storms of the media industry and the economic turbulence in Argentina.”
But Guyot is not giving up. A passionate musician, he is known for his innovative and entrepreneurial spirit, which he now channels as executive director of EcoNews, which covers the environment. He also leads the currently-on-pause Human Journalism Network, through which he says he promotes the kinds of stories he believes in.
Guyot took part in the “Five Questions” section of LatAm Journalism Review (LJR), where he spoke about the lessons learned from Red/Acción and encouraged fellow journalists to keep betting on innovation and what he calls “healthy” journalism.
1) It has been a little over eight months since the closure of Red/Acción. In your farewell message, you encouraged colleagues to launch new media outlets and journalistic initiatives. If you could share three lessons or pieces of advice for those brave enough to start a media venture, what would you tell them?
The closure of Red/Acción happened in a very specific context: in 2024, Argentina experienced more than 220 percent inflation. In that regard, one of the lessons is to have excellent financial management. It took us some time to bring in a professional financial director who could ensure effective management of the area. That’s necessary though on its own not enough.
My second lesson or piece of advice is to become obsessed with the community of readers you serve. Listen, understand, learn, adjust—tirelessly.
The last piece of advice: accept that what works today might not work tomorrow. More than ever, audience habits and business models are transforming in real time, so you have to enjoy the process of adaptation. Even though we all regretted the closure of Red/Acción, the truth is that the team and our community of readers enjoyed the journey, and the lessons learned were countless, as I shared in the farewell message. The awareness of having done something meaningful was a great reward for the effort and dedication we put into it.
2) You’re now the executive director of EcoNews. Tell us a bit about this media—what is its objective, and what are your plans?
EcoNews is currently the leading media startup specializing in social and environmental issues, with the largest community of Spanish-speaking readers. We have 1.2 million followers on social media, and our content reaches more than 36 million people per month (in the last quarter, we reached 123 million). It was founded by a team with over 15 years of experience in environmental and sustainability issues, and its success is explained by the quality of the content, its treatment of current affairs, and its focus on short explanatory videos. It is a privilege to work with a talented team driven by a clear purpose: to bring social and environmental issues to large audiences in order to accelerate the transition toward a more sustainable world.
As for the second part of your question, I will share another lesson from Red/Acción: Do not talk about your plans [laughs].
What I can say is that we are preparing major coverage of COP30, after 10 years, the United Nations Climate Change Conference is returning to Latin America, and that is very significant for the entire region.
3) Talking about media today, its challenges in keeping up or being created, inevitably involves discussing Artificial Intelligence. How do you analyze the impact of AI on the media, and how should we face this reality? For example, what has been your experience with EcoNews?
I believe the industry is taking the challenge AI presents for journalism quite seriously. Fortunately, it is the primary topic at almost every conference, and the work of Journalism.AI, for example, is fantastic. Personally, I am much more interested in the opportunities that arise around differentiation or the creation of new formats, rather than focusing solely on efficiency.
At EcoNews, we are experimenting with several tools for video creation, with promising results.
(Photo: Alejandro Guyot)
AI also creates a new opportunity for conversational interfaces, which I’ve always found very interesting, but so far, they haven’t gained much traction with audiences.
On the other hand, I believe every journalist should spend at least half an hour a day interacting with a generative AI like ChatGPT. You learn a lot about how it can help improve journalism. That being said, there are areas where the human element will remain indispensable: field reporting, where a journalist is constantly deciding where to focus their attention, and interviews.
There’s a technique I really like, which is to remain silent after the interviewee responds, creating space for them to elaborate. Just as AI doesn’t know how to say “I don’t know,” it also doesn’t know how to remain silent.
4) Another crucial issue is the funding challenge, which ranges from finding sources that don’t threaten independence to the role of major digital platforms and the role of audiences. How do you assess this point, and what might be the best paths for media entrepreneurs?
I believe entrepreneurs have one sustainable path: focusing on the needs of a specific audience and serving them with a high-quality news product or service. And working to ensure that this community is willing to pay, in some way, for that product or service. In this context, for new or focused media outlets, neither platforms nor large advertisers can represent a significant and sustainable source of income.
5) You have been a leader in promoting solutions journalism, as well as human-centered journalism in the region. How do you see the development of this kind of journalism in newsrooms? Does it have more space, or is it the opposite?
The world and the industry are at a moment of great confusion. And I believe this is an ideal scenario for the growth of constructive, solutions-based, human-centered journalism, whatever we choose to call it. It may sound counterintuitive, but amid the general noise, the reign of algorithms, and synthetic journalism, I think there is an opportunity for “journalism made by humans, for humans.” To use a culinary metaphor: amid the rise of junk food, there is a resurgence in demand for healthier, “chemical-free” food. I think constructive journalism will be an ingredient that news outlets include more frequently on their menu.
