Become a high-quality platform for proclaiming Christ.
Photo Courtesy of Christian Tribune
Exclusive Interview with News Director Hsiu-Ling Hung
Numbers That Inspire
KRC: Could you share your experiences and challenges in transitioning from print to digital?
Hung: First and foremost, we had to learn and overcome challenges related to video production and social media management as writers transitioning into the digital realm. Moving from a newspaper to the online world allowed us to reach a much broader audience, significantly expanding our readership. At its peak, our news page had over a million monthly views, and our Facebook community could reach one to two million people weekly. These were not necessarily all Christians; some were seekers, while others were Buddhists or Taoists. The comments often reflected this diversity of perspectives.
The readership demographic has changed and grown, which requires greater caution in the tone and wording of our reports. In the past, we often used terminology familiar to Christians, but this occasionally led to misunderstandings, misinterpretations, or even attacks on social media. As a result, our team now adopts a more rigorous approach to ensure that our reports and topics are clear and not easily misunderstood. Of course, this also indicates that the Gospel is reaching more people.
Another challenge is shifting perspectives from being solely writers to studying social media management. Our team needed to understand the unique characteristics of different audience groups across platforms such as Facebook, Instagram (IG), LINE, and the newspaper. Each platform has distinct user demographics and engagement algorithms, requiring the Christian Tribune to adapt its strategies accordingly. When managed well, it can yield great results with minimal effort. However, if the algorithm changes, we must recalculate and adjust our approach.
One year, we increased the exposure of short videos and image posts on Facebook, and the reach of similar content was remarkably high. Posts garnered thousands to tens of thousands of likes, and short videos performed equally well. One video even achieved over 400,000 likes, which was an incredibly encouraging experience.
However, there were also challenges that forced us to let go of certain efforts. For instance, we had invested significant time and energy into growing a LINE group from scratch to over 100,000 members. But when LINE's operating strategy changed, the cost of sending messages became prohibitively high. Financially, we could not sustain it, so we had to switch to a static page. This meant we could no longer send multiple news updates daily and instead had to rely on readers visiting our main site on their own, which significantly reduced our impact. Despite our hard work, budget constraints forced us to halt this initiative, which was a very discouraging experience.
Breaking Through Reporting Limits
KRC: During the transition, are there any significant experiences you can share with KRC readers?
**Hung:** One year, our Facebook following grew by 100,000 members, which gave us very mixed feelings. At the time, we were working hard to operate our Facebook page, covering topics that garnered significant attention. That year, Taiwan experienced several major disasters, including earthquakes, the Kaohsiung gas explosion, and a plane crash—unfortunate and tragic events. We provided timely updates and compassionate reporting, which sparked widespread engagement and discussions, as well as calls for prayer and concern.
On one hand, we were pleased to see such a rapid increase in our Facebook readership, but on the other hand, we felt sorrow for the unfortunate events that had occurred. From another perspective, however, it also allowed us to demonstrate the Christian concern for society and to share the values of loving our neighbors and having compassion for the suffering, as taught by our faith.
For different types of social media platforms, the Christian Tribune adopts different strategies, and the development in each area has been quite positive so far. These platforms have truly allowed us to break through geographical limitations. Even in very distant places, people can access the news published by the Tribune.
The number of readers for the print version of the Christian Tribune has been steadily declining, making it increasingly challenging to sustain. Despite this, the resources invested in editing and producing the print edition are still greater than those for digital ministry. However, we have not given up, as there are churches and a loyal group of readers who continue to strongly support the print version.
Reading a physical newspaper is a warm and tangible experience. Even though many print media outlets have faded into history, becoming "tears of the times," we remain committed to publishing. However, we have made some changes: the font size has been enlarged, more images are included, and the layout now resembles a magazine. Reports and articles are centered around a single theme. Unlike the quick browsing typical of online content, the thematic reporting and innovative design of the print edition allow us to curate edifying or discussion-oriented topics.
A Platform to Proclaim Christ
KRC: Could you share the team’s experience in implementing the CEO’s vision and direction for transformation?
Hung: We fully agree with the CEO's vision, which is that media should no longer be confined to traditional print. It must embrace diversity, move toward digitalization, and become more community-focused. The goal is to reach people of all nations, delivering the news of the Tribune to audiences around the world.
The CEO is currently advancing the Asia Influence Center, aiming to connect churches across Asia. Media can play a significant role in fostering these connections, and we are all excited and eager to work toward this goal.
Manpower is currently our greatest challenge, as we strive to maximize impact with limited resources. The team must handle traditional print media tasks such as written reporting and editing while continuing to manage publishing operations. At the same time, we need to stay updated on emerging social media algorithms and technologies, while also managing online news, which requires us to respond promptly to breaking events and audience inquiries. Ideally, these responsibilities would be divided between two separate teams in a newsroom, but currently, we are a single team handling everything. Our coworkers are constantly on standby to meet these demands.
On the positive side, every team member has grown significantly. However, there may be some regrets, as certain areas that require deeper focus might not be fully addressed. We are committed to continuing our efforts in these areas.
Limited manpower is a challenge. Since we aim to function as the Asia Influence Center, the Christian Tribune can serve as a platform—not only for our own reporting but also by inviting or accepting submissions, much like traditional media. For this purpose, we have established various sections and sought partnerships with organizations to contribute content. For example, ICEJ (International Christian Embassy Jerusalem) shares content about Israel. We also feature dedicated sections for devotionals and articles from missionary organizations tailored for seekers. This expanded content goes beyond the traditional scope of a newspaper, enriching the Tribune's website. When the themes align, we also publish these articles in the print edition. Overall, participating organizations are enthusiastic about collaborating with the Tribune, which helps ease the strain on our team’s manpower.
Through connections and collaborations, the Christian Tribune has become a dynamic platform. Currently, we work with numerous organizations to continually expand the content on our website. Combined with the Asia Influence Center’s networking efforts, we are maximizing the effectiveness of our multi-faceted media approach, given our current manpower. The Tribune’s team will continue to connect with churches, organizations, and individual creators, ensuring that this faith-based media becomes a powerful platform for proclaiming Christ to the world.
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