What is it about?
Comparing two community news organizations, we found that the one that gave higher priority to web metrics (page views in particular) produced a lower percentage of stories about important issues, put fewer sources in its stories, and let numbers play a greater role in news judgment. But journalists' sense of obligation to their communities led both organizations to sometimes tackle impactful civic stories even though they anticipated a low click total.
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Why is it important?
Journalists need to be aware how excessive attention to audience popularity numbers -- an understandable reaction to big economic problems in the industry today -- potentially leads to lower quality journalism, so they can make a conscious effort to resist if they wish.
Perspectives
In the later stages of a long career in journalism, I saw the many benefits of web metrics but also became alarmed by some trends I saw in newsroom priorities. I wanted to learn -- in a precise and academic way -- what was happening and what the implications might be for journalism's ability to fulfill its civic mission. And I must say, it was great to be back in a newsroom again.
Tom Arenberg
University of Alabama System
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The Impact of Web Metrics on Community News Decisions: A Resource Dependence Perspective, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, September 2018, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/1077699018801318.
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