The Dutch 8 o’ clock news program (NOS Journaal) asked us in 2011 to solve a dilemma. Their flagship program was still the most watched and respected news program in the Netherlands. But they also received signals that viewers found it formal and aloof, which led more viewers switch to commercial news programs, where they saw more emotion and human interest. NOS asked us how they could bring more emotion and excitement in the presentation of their news program, without compromising their objectivity and reputation.

We conducted short interviews with both newsmakers and viewers to explore their deep needs and values about the news.

We presented a new vision for the news. It was about two things: using form and decor to distinguish news items, and the new role of the newsreader. In the old format, the newsreader sat in the middle, introducing each news item on a screen in the same way. In the new news, the credo became ‘form follows content’. The newscaster stood and walked, and could use the new, huge screen in a variety of ways. A political event, a bomb attack or a museum opening are completely different events, each requiring a different form of presentation. In this vision, the newscaster became a travel guide: still an objective expert, but someone who takes you by the hand to show you, instead of a teacher who tells you about it.