SODP Dispatch - 04 December 2025

31 Best CMS for News Sites in 2026

By Samuel Fatola

The ability to publish quickly, securely, and across multiple platforms isn’t just an advantage; it’s essential for survival in today’s digital news environment. Content management systems (CMSs) have become the backbone of modern newsrooms, pulling together and centralizing key aspects of the editorial process from story creation to multi-channel distribution.

Yet with dozens of platforms available, each promising to revolutionize your publishing workflow, choosing the right CMS for your news organization can feel overwhelming.

Your CMS choice affects everything from how quickly you can break news to how effectively you protect sensitive sources, how successfully you distribute content across channels, and how well your site performs in search rankings. It shapes page load times, influences traffic growth, and ultimately impacts ad revenue and audience engagement.

We’ve evaluated 31 CMS platforms against the criteria that matter most for news organizations: security, editorial workflow, publishing speed, omnichannel distribution, SEO, scalability, and cost.

💼 Director, Digital Operations & Audience at Vanity Fair

Condé Nast | Full-time | New York, NY | $132K-$165K

Vanity Fair is hiring a Director, Digital Operations & Audience to drive growth across digital platforms. The role sits at the intersection of strategy and operations—developing audience initiatives while managing day-to-day publishing workflows.

Key responsibilities: liaison for audience development priorities, optimize content for search/social/newsletters, evolve newsletter portfolio through A/B testing, identify operational bottlenecks, manage global audience team.

Requirements: 5-7 years digital content experience, team management, CMS workflow knowledge, SEO expertise, analytical mindset, strong communication skills with ability to deliver feedback diplomatically.

Apply here ▸

🌍 Climate Change News Audiences Report 2025

Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism | December 2025

The Reuters Institute's fourth annual climate report reveals climate news consumption declining across Global North countries despite stable interest. Weekly use dropped 15pp in France, 11pp in USA, 7pp in UK since 2022. The decline is driven by reduced TV coverage (31% to 25%) and disengagement among over-55s (72% to 62% weekly consumption).

Trust in scientists as climate information sources grew (68% to 71%) while trust in politicians remained low (23%)—the gap widened to 48pp. Only one in three express confidence in political leaders' climate priorities. Audience needs analysis reveals largest shortfalls in "Inspire me" and "Give me perspective"—audiences want coverage conveying hope and progress, not constant crisis.

Read the full report ▸

By Vahe Arabian

🔎 2025 Review → What to Expect in 2026: SEO and Content Strategy in the Publishing World

As part of an ongoing series reflecting on key trends in the publishing space, I’m kicking things off with SEO and content strategy. The landscape is evolving quickly, and as we approach 2026, the way we approach SEO, content creation, and distribution will look very different.

Here are my top predictions for the next year and how publishers can prepare for these shifts:

1. SEO + AI Search: A Unified Approach to Content Discovery

SEO and AI search are no longer separate; they’re increasingly intertwined. As AI-driven search systems continue to grow, publishers must adapt their content strategy to be optimized for both AI agents and human searchers. Content that is structured, contextually clear, and dynamic will rise to the top in AI-driven results. The NFL’s use of agentic AI in 2025 shows how AI systems can interpret and deliver content rapidly and intelligently, offering a glimpse into the future of AI-assisted content discovery. Publishers who integrate AI optimization into their workflows now will have a competitive edge in 2026.

2. Optimizing Paywall Content with LLMs

By 2026, publishers will need to leverage LLMs (Large Language Models) to optimize paywalled content beyond traditional SEO tactics. Rather than simply structuring content for indexing, AI will enable dynamic paywall adjustments based on user intent and engagement patterns. For example, AI could automatically generate tailored snippets or summaries that let a user preview key insights from premium content, increasing the likelihood of surfacing in AI-powered search results while still protecting the full paywall. A tactic for publishers could be AI-powered access models, where LLMs intelligently detect user interest and offer targeted, limited access to premium content, nudging them toward a subscription without giving everything away upfront. This creates a dynamic discovery experience that blends visibility with monetization, driving conversion while optimizing for AI-driven content distribution.

3. Expanding SEO Beyond Traditional Search Engines

SEO is no longer confined to Google. Social media platforms, email newsletters, and other non-traditional channels are becoming increasingly search-driven and are now indexable by search engines. For example, Facebook content is now discoverable by Google, making social media SEO an important opportunity for publishers. By 2026, publishers will need to optimize their social, email, and app-based content to boost branded search and drive organic traffic. In addition, Google Discover will continue to gain importance, with traffic being driven by engagement and historical content consumption. Publishers should look to optimize not only for search engines but also for content platforms to expand their reach and increase brand visibility.

4. Personalization and ‘Top Stories’

Personalization will be at the heart of search in 2026. Google’s ‘Top Stories’ and similar personalized content features will prioritize user preferences, engagement, and history, with AI-driven search curating results based on individual needs. Publishers will need to focus on highly engaging content that speaks to the user’s specific interests to increase brand search and build loyalty. For instance, personalized recommendations on Google Discover will play an important role in content visibility, making it essential for publishers to create content that is dynamic, adaptable, and responsive to changing user behavior.

5. Content Creation with MCP Connectors and CMS Platforms

In 2026, content creation will be more streamlined and standardized with tools like MCP connectors and advanced CMS platforms. Publishers will be able to optimize for multi-channel distribution and integrate structured elements like FAQs directly into their content. These integrations will enable content to be distributed seamlessly across multiple channels and optimized for a variety of platforms, from search engines to social media. Those who quickly adapt to these evolving processes will be better positioned to lead in the content distribution race, ensuring their content is not only discoverable but also engaging and consumed across multiple touchpoints.

What’s Next for Publishers? Preparing for 2026

The publishing industry will continue to see seismic shifts in how content is discovered, consumed, and monetized. By 2026, publishers who adapt to the convergence of SEO and AI-powered search will have a competitive edge. 

Here’s what to focus on:

• Integrate SEO and AI: Ensure that your content is optimized for both traditional search engines and AI-driven search experiences.

• Experiment with paywall optimizations: Use LLMs and AI-based strategies to enhance discoverability and monetization of your premium content.

• Expand SEO beyond Google: Optimize content for social, email, and non-traditional search channels to increase branded search visibility.

• Embrace personalization: Focus on creating content that speaks to individual user preferences and anticipates engagement.

• Streamline content workflows: Use MCP connectors and CMS optimizations to ensure that your content is optimized for multi-channel distribution.

People Inc's MyRecipes reaches 2M users in six months without paid marketing | Press Gazette

People Inc grew MyRecipes from zero to two million registered users in six months—purely through on-site prompts, email, and push notifications across Food&Wine, Allrecipes, Serious Eats, and Southern Living. The platform aggregates 100,000+ recipes with a 15-person team on pure ad funding. General manager Rich Maggiotto credits the "save recipe" action as a valuable intent signal capturing dietary restrictions and cooking frequency—data enabling targeted advertising. When asked why users aren't going straight to LLMs, president Alysia Borsa emphasized trust: "Are they providing trusted recipes from brands you know? Has someone actually made the recipe?" The company is adding AI-assisted meal planning and direct purchasing, positioning MyRecipes as a universal saving platform. The success demonstrates that profoundly human experiences—"the heat of the kitchen, the clutter of knives"—can't be replicated by AI alone.

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JournalismAI Festival reveals media "becoming part of AI systems" | Nieman Lab

Last month's JournalismAI Festival in London confronted a stark reality: referral traffic is collapsing. Irene Jay Liu, director of AI at the International Fund for Public Media, reported publishers in Brazil, South Africa, and Indonesia seeing traffic drops of 50-60% as search engines summarize journalistic content directly. Ezra Eeman, strategy director at Dutch broadcaster NPO, reframed the challenge: "The bigger play is that media is being added to AI—becoming part of AI systems." Standout use cases included CalMatters's Digital Democracy monitoring 200+ California government data points, Newtral's FactFlow reducing suspicious content identification from 45 minutes to seconds across 7,000 Telegram channels, and Scroll's article personalization slider. Multiple speakers cautioned against overreliance on AI detection tools, efficacy isn't static as models update constantly.

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WAN-IFRA proposes framework separating news source identification from certification | WAN-IFRA

Following French President Macron's controversial suggestion of professional news "labelling"—which sparked accusations of authoritarian drift—WAN-IFRA published a framework distinguishing between neutral technical identification and qualitative certification. The proposal bifurcates two fundamental questions: "Who is this source?" versus "Does this source adhere to professional standards?" The Global Media Identifier (GMI) provides neutral, machine-readable identification—a 16-character string functioning like an airport code to eliminate confusion between similarly named outlets. The Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI), an ISO standard led by Reporters Without Borders, handles qualitative assessment through 130-question self-assessment and external certification. Together, these systems create symbiotic infrastructure: platforms use GMI keys to confirm identity, then check for JTI certification to apply preferential treatment. The framework explicitly avoids state control—the recent White House "Hall of Fame" singling out "misleading" outlets illustrates precisely what industry-led self-regulation aims to prevent.

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Financial Times partners with RavenPack for AI-era distribution | MediaPost

The Financial Times formed a strategic partnership with data analytics firm RavenPack that FT Professional managing director James Mann describes as "the FT's first distribution partnership purpose-built for the generative AI era." The arrangement combines an FT Ventures investment, a content license with FT Professional, and access to selected FT products. RavenPack will integrate FT journalism into three core products—Analytics, Annotations, and Bigdata.com—with clients requiring an FT Professional license to access the integration. RavenPack CEO Armando Gonzalez frames the shift: "This is the beginning of AI that doesn't just read the news, it interprets the world." The partnership signals how premium publishers are architecting controlled AI distribution rather than passively watching content get scraped and summarized. By licensing directly to analytics platforms serving financial professionals, the FT monetizes its journalism within AI workflows while maintaining attribution and transparency.

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Marketing Trends 2026 | Search Engine Journal

Growth advisor Kevin Indig forecasts an "extinction event" for standalone AI visibility tracking tools in Q3 2026 as funding runways expire without revenue growth justifying Series B rounds. Roughly 20 companies raised over $220M—73% founded in 2024—but tracking proved to be "a feature, not a company" after Amplitude built a free tracker in three weeks. Indig predicts ChatGPT will launch its first quality update to combat spammers using link spam and mass-generated AI content, implementing Multi-Source Corroboration where one AI agent retrieves information while another acts as "judge" verifying against other sources. Additional 2026 predictions: AI Overviews scale to 75% of keywords as organic CTR tanks from 1.41% to 0.64%; major publishers implement "LLM blockades" via robots.txt creating a "Dark Web" of high-quality content AI cannot access; YouTube and LinkedIn split feeds into "verified human" versus "synthetic/unverified" as deepfake fraud attempts increased 257%; and Perplexity sells to xAI or Salesforce for $25-30B after user growth plateaus.

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