Stagwell Announces 'Future of News' Summit on May 15 Featuring Trailblazing Panelist Discussions and 50,000-Respondent Study Revealing the Importance of Investing in News

This summit also marks an occasion to formally debut Stagwell’s new partnership council of U.S. publishers, media buying platforms and social platforms, including Ad Fontes Media, Axel Springer, Axios, Business Insider, POLITICO, The New York Times, The Trade Desk, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. Together, the council will launch a transformative platform to challenge the advertising industry to reinvest in news.

“The Future of News Summit will reframe the conversation by debuting research that illustrates the power of news audiences to drive business and debunks common brand safety myths,” said Stagwell Chairman and CEO Mark Penn. “According to our prior research, 90% of voters think the country should have freedom of the press, and yet news monetization is increasingly under attack. Live at the summit we’ll bring both brand and publisher partners together to discuss ways to navigate this climate and maintain consumer trust.”

Penn will kickoff the program and reveal key findings from the research, followed by two panel discussions featuring journalists and brand leaders who see news as the foundation of a thriving democracy and a critical vehicle for marketing ROI.

Panel I: Being A Journalist Today – Stories from the Field: A moderated conversation about the journalists today who are breaking down barriers, holding truth to power, and shining a light on the issues that matter most- despite the most difficult and dangerous of circumstances, featuring: 

• Hannah Beckler, Business Insider: Beckler is the Senior Editor, Investigations at Business Insider. Most recently, she reported on the eight US state prison systems that deploy patrol dogs to attack and terrorize incarcerated people, for which she received a National Magazine Award.
• Jason Conti, Dow Jones: Conti is the EVP and General Counsel at Dow Jones, publisher of The Wall Street Journal. As general counsel, he oversees the company’s legal department. Conti also leads the company’s legal efforts to secure the release of WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been wrongfully detained in Russia for over a year.
• Jason Rezaian, The Washington Post: Rezaian is a writer for Global Opinions. He served as The Post’s correspondent in Tehran from 2012 to 2016. He spent 544 days unjustly imprisoned by Iranian authorities until his release in January 2016. He is a CNN contributor.
• Megan Twohey, The New York Times: Twohey is an investigative reporter at The New York Times whose work has prompted changes to the law, criminal convictions and cultural shifts. Twohey is most known for being one of the journalists who broke the story of Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein’s long pattern of sexual harassment and abuse, which helped ignite the #MeToo movement and shared in the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.
• Moderated by Ray Day, Stagwell Vice Chair

Panel II: Why News Works for Brands: Investment in advertising on news platforms is not only brand safe, but also lends itself to a strong return on investment. This session will be an interactive dialogue with business leaders sharing their perspectives on the value of news and how to maximize impact through tailored marketing, featuring:

• Tara Carraro, U.S. Steel: Tara Carraro serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer for U. S. Steel where she is responsible for reputation management and communications strategies designed to help deliver on its Best for All® strategy. She also has executive responsibility for Community Relations and non-governmental Stakeholder Engagement.
• Will Doherty, The Trade Desk: Doherty is the Vice President of Inventory Development at The Trade Desk where he oversees strategic partnerships with publishers which includes legacy media, television networks as well as new and emerging channels. Doherty has been responsible for launching products including OpenPath and championing Unified ID 2.0 amongst the publisher side of digital media.
• Dan Gardner, Code and Theory: Gardner is co-founder of the technology-first creative agency Code and Theory and ON_Discourse, a new membership media company focused on the business of technology, prioritizing expert-driven discourse to drive perspectives.
• Shenan Reed, General Motors: Reed is the Global Chief Media Officer at General Motors. She comes to the automaker following three-and-a-half years as SVP, Head of Media at L’Oréal USA and 20+ years of media agency experience.
• Moderated by Lou Paskalis, Ad Fontes Chief Strategy Officer

Interested parties can request a copy of the research here. For additional questions, please contact hello@stagwellglobal.com

About Stagwell
Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW) is the challenger network built to transform marketing. We deliver scaled creative performance for the world’s most ambitious brands, connecting culture-moving creativity with leading-edge technology to harmonize the art and science of marketing. Led by entrepreneurs, our 13,000+ specialists in 34+ countries are unified under a single purpose: to drive effectiveness and improve business results for their clients. Join us at www.stagwellglobal.com.

About HarrisX
HarrisX is a leading global research consultancy that regularly conducts major market research, public policy polling and social science studies and consulting engagements in more than 40 countries around the world. It is a proud member of Stagwell Global (STGW). Learn more at www.harrisx.com.