Question:
How are new online news sites building credibility with readers, the community and funders?
Different types of news and styles of reporting connect and serve audiences in different ways. What factors accelerate – or diminish – a site’s credibility?
Answers: Remember to refresh often to see latest comments!
11 answers so far.
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Angi Carter says:
December 6, 2011 at 2:04 pm
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Lisa Skube says:
January 27, 2012 at 11:54 am
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Angi Carter says:
February 1, 2012 at 11:41 am
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Ted says:
August 5, 2011 at 11:44 am
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Raj says:
August 5, 2011 at 10:35 am
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Brandon says:
July 25, 2011 at 3:51 pm
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Journalism Accelerator says:
April 25, 2011 at 10:14 pm
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Jeff says:
March 21, 2011 at 1:11 pm
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Alison says:
April 25, 2011 at 10:11 pm
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Jeff says:
May 31, 2011 at 11:14 am
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Alison says:
May 31, 2011 at 11:37 am
| ParticipantsWe have a print and web presence but regardless of platform, strong content and community connections are key to credibility. Online tools are great for increasing our reach and efficiency, but no digital skill can replace the power of our physical presence in the communities we serve. We must keep our feet on the street. Can’t serve communities we don’t experience or understand.
The big question is how do you tie all the offline/online pieces together to stay on top of where the relationships are across your community? Do you guys have a tracking system to tie it together? I’d touched base with Jim Brady to learn more about how different properties of the Journal Register Co. are tracking social listening. He’d noted the listening tools hadn’t proven their value quite yet, running a cost/benefit analysis against the goal of the newsroom staying close to the community’s needs. Different publishers are trying different things, but we don’t see a lot of CRM layered into most publishers operations. We’ve been testing Radian6 but have been finding it has a number of limitations that make it difficult to listen to community in a way we can customize vs. say track a brand. We find ourselves using a number of different tools to track what’s emerging and what publishers are looking for, or innovations emerging. How does the New Haven Register tackle this challenge?
Hi Lisa,
All great questions. For the most part, the tools I use have a metrics feature built into the platform. For example, I always shorten links that I share in social media using bit.ly so that I can have viewing stats; Blogger gives me traffic reports on blog posts; and Facebook gives us stats on our paper’s New Haven Register page. The paper’s website metrics are handled through a vendor called Omniture – that’s a paid service that tells us page views, unique visitors, traffic peaks, most popular stories, etc.
We’ve started holding our news meetings online so that the public can see what we’re working on each day and give us story suggestions. We use CoverItLive for that (which is free) and it tells us the number of viewers tuning in to each meeting or live stream event we host. Feel free to ask me more about any of this here or via email [email protected]
Focus on being a “center of excellence” in a certain niche. Especially for new sites that are working to build a readership, it’s best to focus on one or two areas and showcase real insight and expertise. If you develop a following in that niche area you can slowly expand to other areas to increase the size of the core following. This approach works much better than trying to be too ambitious too quickly by covering everything.
Credibiity comes with solid reporting. To me, I want reporting that has piercing analysis. It doesn’t matter to me if you are a Nobel Prize winner or a freshman economnics student, I want analysis. As analysis becomes sharper, credibility will grow, and funders and readers will abound. Also, it is important to remember the audience–journalists must be acutely aware of who there audience is–PhD economists or a layperson.
Successful news sites, regardless of their size, depend on a deep connection to their communities. Cementing ties early-on is essential for new news ventures. For a site to demonstrate value at a local level, a site’s developers should identify the under-served community niches and devise low-cost approaches to delivering value in those areas.
One case study for local news sites is the Batavian in Upstate New York have found ways to generate revenue and reach profitability by reaching local audiences with valuable news content. As its readership base expanded, the Batavian attracted more local companies looking to reach an engaged audience. While not all local news sites can compete in a for-profit model, they can all benefit from finding a niche, owning that niche, and staying in touch with their core audience.
In an interview on this site, Matt Rosenberg suggests “Establishing partnership with other major media entitles is also a good way to boost readership and credibility for new sites.” He also suggest “establishing a “partner’s page,” where the collaboration can be featured.” Interview here: http://journalismaccelerator.com/resources/new-media-landscape-matt-rosenbergs-take-on-building-credibility/
Engaging the public via convenings and asking powerful questions like “What’s working in our communities? What’s beautiful here?” Etc. to build coherence and a foundation for positive engagement…
Jeff I like what you describe. can you provide an example of a site doing something like this?
Hi Alison,
I added the above post as part of an early demonstration of the Journalism Accelerator. Naturally there’s more to say. Asset-based Community Development (http://www.abcdinstitute.org/) and Appreciative Inquiry (http://appreciativeinquiry.case.edu/) are tested and proven methods for building healthy communities. In as much as: (1) journalism is aligned with building healthy communities (and this can be debated), (2) journalists are conveners of conversations, and (3) journalistic organizations provide a venue of sorts, I recommend exploring what it would look like to intentionally operate as conveners – asking appreciative questions that tend to pull communities together instead of polarizing – using the best of our knowledge from the field of community development. Moreover, the appreciative stance shifts the direction of the conversation, which shifts the collective perception of what is possible, which over time leads to behavior patterns that are more life-affirming, sustainable, and thriving. This, in my opinion, is the primary opportunity and challenge (the appreciative stance is not widely accepted or even understood) of journalism today.
Although I have provided links to learn more about ABCD and AI, I have not answered your question directly because I’m not aware of journalists who are doing what I am proposing. Nonetheless, I see this idea – of convening appreciatively – gaining traction in a larger context. In addition, I believe (strongly) that the appreciative approach is directly correlated with the financial viability of contemporary journalism. If, as I believe, the reorientation of collective fragmentation/polarization into an appreciation of our diverse gifts is the STORY of our time, then those who start convening the actors, learning about the new story, and telling this story will be rewarded.
Thanks for asking, Alison!
Hey thanks for taking the time to answer Jeff. I will check out more about the appreciative approach and asset-based community development.