OPINION | Some reflections and thanks to CNN Digital in its 25 years

We celebrate the 25th anniversary of the launch of CNN Digital.

Editor's Note

: Meredith Artley is the editor-in-chief of CNN Digital.

(CNN) -

Trusted journalism brands are more important now than ever.

CNN is without a doubt one of those, in fact, the most reliable.

Through our digital platforms, we reach more than 30 million people on average in a single day.

That number that has grown dramatically since CNN.com launched this day in 1995. That confidence and growth, and the instinct of millions of people who come to CNN when it matters most, inspires and motivates those of us who work here.

On the 25th anniversary of the launch of CNN Digital, I would like to share a little about how we work, a word of thanks and optimism for what some delicately call "headwinds."

Last week is a good example.

The Republican National Convention.

The Jacob Blake shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and the subsequent violence, boycotts and calls for justice.

The devastation of Hurricane Laura and the California wildfires.

The untimely and poignant death of Chadwick Boseman.

And the aftermath of the alleged poisoning of a leader of the Russian opposition.

All in the context of a global pandemic, with rates of cases and deaths rising and falling, with a global race for vaccines, and a shifting and inconsistent orientation for Americans.

A global team of journalists produced hundreds of stories in text, video, photos and graphics.

They worked together 24 hours a day, seven days a week to post live, accurate updates, to keep home pages up to date on the mobile web, our apps, and the desktop.

They sent out alerts and newsletters, created podcasts, updated social channels, and connected with audiences.

As usual.

But busier.

So a week passed.

And a wild 25 years.

I have worked in digital journalism since the beginning, in the mid-1990s. In those days there was excitement around the promises of the internet: new voices and ideas will be raised, more dialogue will be fostered across borders, creative innovation will help disseminate information and knowledge.

Some of that has been done.

But there are sinister elements these days.

Bad actors and trolls who use the internet to spread lies, fear and hatred.

We see it broadcast on the social platforms where CNN has had a presence for years.

We see disinformation flourish in those places and we wonder if the energy we put into sharing our work on those platforms is a useless act.

Is journalism just food for algorithms that thrive on outrage and division?

Which way will this take?

Will the best angels or demons prevail?

Even on the day of CNN.com's launch in 1995, there was the fear of a "multimedia hell" right there on the home page, with a link to a story warning of loss of privacy and the threat of anarchy.

There is a real reason for optimism.

There is journalism to do, a public that wants it and talented people to do it.

About those talented people ...

My favorite part of the day is when our digital team of journalists meets at 8 AM Atlanta time for a global video call.

There are echoes of old-school news meetings where the best editors share stories on the most important and compelling news of the day.

But woven throughout those releases is a discussion about the people who come to CNN.

Where do they spend time with us?

What are they curious to learn?

What questions remain to be answered?

It is one thing to be great and another interesting.

That is where our focus is.

We use data to inform the human process of journalism.

We used to be side by side in crowded newsrooms in Atlanta, New York, Washington, Los Angeles, London, and Hong Kong.

These days we have been scattered and separated.

Yet somehow we're even closer together on the visually level playing field of video calling.

We have continued the work that we have to do in these extraordinary times.

We make time to celebrate birthdays and babies, welcome new team members, play music, have trivia nights, and happy hours.

Camaraderie is the most important thing in busy news cycles and in tough times.

One of CNN's strengths over the years has been our ability to deliver news from around the world, from all CNN journalists.

Our users have benefited from years of watching the biggest moments from our air, hearing the likes of Don Lemon and Sanjay Gupta on audio, watching Anderson Cooper's "Full Circle" broadcast, subscribing to Brian Stelter's newsletter, exploring Nima Elbagir's visual business reports and read and watch stories from around the world that draw on deep experience across the organization.

Digital has moved from the corner to the center.

That's a transition I've seen in the decade I've been on CNN and throughout my career.

My first job was at another trusted brand: NYTimes.com.

I remember knowing then that CNN.com had been on the World Wide Web months before NYT.

I watched CNN.com closely, seeing how quickly they were updating, how they were innovating from the start.

I wondered about the people who worked there.

How were they going with the job of creating a new approach to journalism on a new platform from within an established news brand?

Since then I have had the opportunity to meet many of those original CNN "dotcommers".

Today we are strong for what they started.

To them and to all the CNN Digital students, thank you.

Where will the next 25 years take us?

There are more signs of optimism on the track so far.

The trust that people have in CNN.

The time they spend with us every day and the many ways they seek us out.

The deep interest we see every day for accurate, compelling and timely journalism that captures moments, raises diverse voices and ideas, and holds power accountable by investigating, fact-checking, and staying current.

And the best cause for optimism: the people who work here.

Our committed journalists.

Talented teams of developers, engineers, product managers, data scientists, and audience development experts constantly iterate and innovate.

Thanks to them and all of our partners in the business.

That's a pretty solid foundation to build on for months, years, and decades to come.

I wrote to the team on Friday after a long and news-filled week: “What incredible times we are living in.

I am grateful to each of you, grateful to be able to do this work right now for millions of people every day, together.

On behalf of all of us here, I want to extend that appreciation to each person who gives us their time and trust.

Cheers to the next 25 years.