From Effort to Impact: RAOOI’s Role in Newsroom Transformation
“RAOOI was like a slow burn for me. But when it hit, it was fire.”
July 25, 2025
In the fast-moving, high-pressure world of journalism, it’s easy to confuse doing more with doing what matters. That’s where RAOOI comes in.
A core tool of the Media Transformation Challenge, RAOOI offers newsroom leaders a framework to connect their daily activities to their long-term goals. A logic model at heart, RAOOI stands for Resources, Activities, Outputs, Outcomes, and Impact. It’s often used in strategic planning and grant writing, but in the MTC context, it serves a deeper purpose: helping newsroom leaders link effort to meaning, intention to effect.
“RAOOI was like a slow burn for me,” said Lisa Heyamoto (’24) of LION Publishers. “But when it hit, it was fire.”
The power of RAOOI lies in its simplicity. Leaders start by naming their resources — people, time, tools, and money. Then they track what they’re doing with those resources, what they’re producing, what changes they’re seeing, and ultimately, how their work is affecting communities or institutions in lasting ways.
That clarity can be transformational.
In practice, MTC coaches use RAOOI to help Fellows and their teams build a clear theory of change. For example, if a newsroom is trying to grow trust and engagement among Black audiences, the framework can help map it all out: an inclusive audiences DEI manager, reporters and grant support (resources), listening sessions and diverse sources training for reporters (activities), the number of published stories on platforms where the audiences are, and the number of community convenings held (outputs), improved Black readership metrics and increased revenue from sponsors seeking these audiences (outcomes), and ultimately, gain trust and more inclusive civic dialogue and actions(impact).
When transformation efforts stall, RAOOI also helps diagnose what’s missing. Is it a lack of resources? Misaligned activities? Outputs that don’t actually lead to change? And when outcomes fall short, it gives teams a reason to pause and reflect: Are we doing the right things with the right tools?
RAOOI also creates a shared language — among newsroom teams, with funders, and across communities — making it easier to explain, adjust, and iterate on the work of meaningful change. It’s not just a logic model; it’s a mindset shift, from checking boxes to making change.
“During my Fellowship, I put a Post-it note on my desk with the word RAOOI, and it is still on my computer,” Jennifer Joseph (’24) of ABC News reflected. “I look at it multiple times a day.”
Make a mindset shift and change today by applying to join the MTC Fellowship Class of 2026 now.