Building Human Centered Learning in Journalism: Lessons from News Corp’s Rob Resnick

TL;DR

Human centered learning is becoming the backbone of modern newsroom development. In this conversation with Robert Resnick, Director of Learning and Development at News Corp, we explore why human centered programs like coaching, peer learning, and manager cohorts outperform self-paced modules—especially as journalism rapidly changes. Resnick’s story shows how L&D leaders can build learning cultures that honor craft, unlock internal expertise, and prepare teams for an AI-accelerated future.

Introduction

Journalism is a human profession. It lives in nuance, context, judgment, and lived experience. So it’s no surprise that human centered learning has become essential in developing newsroom talent.

In our latest Intelligence Amplifiers episode, we spoke with Rob Resnick, Director of Learning and Development at News Corp. His career is a rare full circle: from teenage journalist to corporate trainer to leader of L&D for one of the world’s most global media companies. Across every chapter, one throughline has remained constant: the belief that people learn best from people.

This post distills the most impactful insights from the conversation and highlights what today’s L&D leaders can steal from the newsroom playbook.

1. Why Human Centered Learning Still Wins in a Digital Newsroom

Thesis: Despite decades of digital transformation, the most effective development programs still rely on human connection, shared experience, and real-time dialogue.

Resnick has taught everything from desktop software to media law to leadership development. Across all of it, he has seen one pattern: self-paced learning is helpful but limited. It supplements. It doesn’t replace.

“There’s real value in the human element. People still want to learn from colleagues and facilitators.”

For journalism specifically, human centered learning matters because:

• Context changes fast. News cycles shift daily, and reporters rely on frontline experience, not static content.

• Craft is tacit. Writing, interviewing, editing, and source management are skills learned through modeling and feedback.

• Leadership moments are ambiguous. No LMS module can replicate a tough editorial call or a team conflict under deadline.

Online content still plays a role, especially for technical upskilling, but it cannot carry the full weight of behavioral, editorial, or leadership development.

This mirrors what PlusPlus sees in technical orgs: experts teaching experts is the difference between learning that sticks and learning that stalls.

2. Peer Learning and Manager Cohorts: The Heart of Human Centered Design

Thesis: Cross-functional manager cohorts create the psychological safety and shared perspective needed for real growth.

At both the New York Times and News Corp, Resnick built multi-tiered manager development programs with a twist: a peer coaching circle embedded inside the experience.

Managers meet monthly in consistent cohorts where they:

• Share real scenarios from their teams

• Discuss what worked and what didn’t

• Compare approaches across departments

• Practice applying concepts like delegation, decision-making, or conflict navigation

These weren’t open drop-in hours. They were intentionally closed groups to build trust and candor.

“People appreciate hearing from others dealing with similar situations but in different contexts. It opens their mind to new ways of leading.”

This is one of the strongest examples of human centered learning in action. It works because:

• Managers don’t just learn concepts, they apply them

• They see leadership through multiple perspectives

• They build networks that strengthen the organization’s collective intelligence

For L&D leaders, this reinforces a core truth: the most scalable learning is not content, it’s community.

3. Coaching for Everyone: Expanding Access Beyond the C-Suite

Thesis: Coaching becomes transformational when it moves from elite privilege to organizational standard.

Traditionally, coaching sits in the executive suite because 1:1 programs are expensive. But News Corp is shifting toward a broader model powered by modern coaching platforms.

These platforms allow:

• Unlimited, on-demand coaching sessions

• More affordable per-person licenses

• Rapid scaling across multiple levels

Resnick is excited about this democratization.

“We’re on the verge of getting coaching into the hands of many more leaders across the organization.”

This is human centered learning at scale. It’s personalized, contextual, and conversational. And it aligns with what modern employees increasingly expect: individualized support, not generic training.

4. The Challenge: Learning Systems Still Don’t Support Human Centered Experiences

Thesis: HR tech has not caught up with the way people actually learn or explore career paths.

Across roles and companies, Resnick has seen the same problem: fragmented systems create fragmented careers.

Today, a single employee’s learning journey may live across:

• A workshop attendance tracker

• An LMS with self-paced modules

• A separate system for career plans

• A performance tool with evaluation data

• A coaching platform unconnected to everything else

Nothing talks to each other.

This creates two major barriers to human centered learning:

1. People don’t see a clear picture of their growth

They get lost in admin instead of engaging with development.

2. Learning doesn’t connect to opportunity

Resnick’s dream: a system that alerts an employee when a role becomes available and says:

“You’re qualified for this. Here’s why.”

Talent marketplaces exist, but implementation is lagging. Companies want human centered learning but run it on fragmented infrastructure.

This is the exact gap PlusPlus was designed to solve: capturing internal knowledge, surfacing it contextually, and creating a living map of how people grow inside the company.

5. AI and the Future of Human Centered Learning in Journalism

Thesis: AI will automate content creation, but it will elevate—not replace—the human work of L&D.

Resnick sees AI as a powerful accelerator.

• It can help draft curricula

• It can automate tedious design tasks

• It can standardize foundational content

• It can free L&D teams for strategic work

But he’s clear that AI won’t replace the human core of development.

“People still need someone to guide them into the next thing. That doesn’t change.”

The human role evolves into:

• Career navigator

• Internal mobility advisor

• Strategic coach

• Culture builder

This is where human centered learning thrives: in helping people interpret change, not just consume content about it.

6. What L&D Leaders Can Learn from Rob’s Journey

Resnick’s career—from student journalist to corporate educator to L&D director at News Corp—offers three repeatable lessons:

1. Start with what motivates people

Technical training matters, but growth happens in community.

2. Build programs, not events

Closed cohorts, coaching circles, and multi-tiered journeys create social accountability.

3. Tie learning to opportunity

Learning without mobility is theater. Learning with pathways is transformation.

His advice for younger L&D professionals?

“Have faith in your path. Stay grounded in your values. Things have a way of working out.”

Conclusion

Human centered learning isn’t nostalgic or analog. It’s strategic. It’s how organizations preserve craft, build leaders, and prepare for what’s next.

Journalism shows us that expertise is social, tacit, and collaborative. Newsrooms have always run on mentorship, peer review, and live feedback. Resnick’s work demonstrates how L&D leaders can bring that ethos into modern organizations—especially those navigating AI-driven change.

The future of learning isn’t automated. It’s augmented. And the companies that thrive will be the ones that keep learning human at the center.

If you found Rob Resnick’s perspective helpful and want more real world stories about human centered learning, leadership, and knowledge sharing, check out more episodes of the Intelligence Amplifiers podcast with other industry leaders. Each conversation offers practical, hard won insights you can bring back to your own learning strategy and culture.