The news room product sounds interesting, but I'm concerned that you've only got one potential customer. Maybe you could build out your network of news organizations, rather than "selling" a product directly. You could try to meet individual employees (even low level, or former ones) to learn more about how their individual news room works. You could even get a part-time job in one!

If you knew you had several customers lined up, you'd (1) have more confidence going down that route and (2) be more confident that you were designing the product right.