July 18, 2006

By MARK BRIGGS
The (Tacoma) News Tribune

Most Web sites have the ability to conjure up its most visited pages with a few mouse clicks. Many newspaper web sites now publish the most visited or most e-mailed stories online, constantly updated.

So how much weight are these data points being given when it comes to changing news judgments among newspaper editors? Depends on whom you ask.

In a recent American Journalism Review article, editors from some the largest newspapers in the U.S. discuss the pros and cons of allowing readers' Web selections guide news judgment, much like television ratings affect TV news.

"We certainly track clicks, but we don't use popularity numbers to decide whether, on a particular day, we should run a particular story or where to place it," Jonathan Landman, deputy managing editor of The New York Times, is quoted as saying in the piece.

Douglas C. Clifton, editor of Cleveland's Plain Dealer, doesn't appreciate how Web sites might allow readers to tune out certain news either through votes or customizing pages. "I think that's a terrible thing. It's not good for a democratic, pluralistic society. It's not good for the business."

In an interview at Online Journalism Review last August, Bob Cauthorn explained his view on how important most popular metrics can be for newspaper story selection.

"The assumption that if you align yourself with your readers – somehow or another you're dumbing down – means that you think your readers are dumb. That's the inescapable result of that logic. And it's wrong! Our readers aren't dumb. Our readers are great.

"... But compare with what was read with what was put on the front page. As a measure of how aligned the editors are with their readers. Because if the editors are aligned with their readers every story on the front page will at least be a top five story. Or at least in the top 10.

"I guarantee you that if you were to study this, most of the stories in the top 10 would not be one of the stories on the front page. Because we're not aligned with our readers."

Meanwhile in Madison, Wis., the Wisconsin State Journal has gone the next step, allowing readers to vote on a story each day that appears on the following day's newspaper front page.

"I see the Reader's Choice as a tool to enhance interactivity," Ellen Foley, the paper's editor, is quoted as saying in the AJR article. "There have been a couple of stories that we did put on the front page that we would not have done so."

Do you have an innovative way of involving your audience in news judgment? Drop me a note and I'll share it through this newsletter: mark.briggs@thenewstribune.com

NYU professor Jay Rosen put together an essay in his blog (and led a discussion at a recent blogging conference) titled The People Formerly Known as the Audience.

Provocative? You bet, as the 88 pages of comments on this post demonstrate.

You need to read the post – and the comments – to understand what is happening "out there." The audience is off the sidelines and in the game and is going to play. It's up to you to play with it in a way that benefits everyone.

Links:

http://journalism.nyu.edu/pubzone/weblogs/pressthink/2006/06/27/ppl_frmr.html

http://journalism.nyu.edu/pubzone/weblogs/pressthink/2006/06/17/blgrc_iv.html

The Pilot, a thrice-weekly paper covering southern Moore County in North Carolina, announced plans to offer free wireless Internet access in the Sandhills region it covers.

The paper will put a Wi-Fi node on its roof and then expand from there into town squares. The paper has an extensive Web presence, with blogs, podcasts and multimedia.

"The Pilot's mission is to serve Moore County," Publisher David Woronoff said, "and we think the technology has advanced to the point that we can help bind the community together in a dynamic and compelling way with The Pilot's products and Internet service."

The Naples Daily News in Florida produced a huge multimedia project on affordable housing, apparently one of the hottest topics in that community. The cornerstone of the project is a mapped database of 80,000 homes and condos that were sold there. Readers can click on each one and get a sales history, photo and description.

But the coverage didn't end there. Not even close. How's this for "comprehensive coverage"?

— Database map

— Articles

— Reporter chat

— Podcast

— Photos

— Graphics

— Videos

— Community vignettes

— Reader comments

— "What people make"

— Trends

— Polls

— E-mail feedback

— 2,200-word explainer of why and how they did it

If you're planning a project and wonder what innovative online additions you should be considering, check out this project for ideas.

Being a Black Man

Speaking of cool and comprehensive multimedia projects, you should also check out "Being a Black Man" by The Washington Post. It's a yearlong project that aims to explore what it means to be a black man in today's society.

How-to for audio slideshows

More and more newspapers are producing audio slideshows. Here's a good how-to piece from a photographer's perspective.

The programmer as journalist

News programmer extraordinaire Adrian Holovaty answered questions for Online Journalism Review about the possibilities for newspapers who have a computer whiz on staff (or why you should get one).

Track science journalism projects

The Knight Science Journalism Tracker is a service for science journalists, created and funded by the Knight Science Journalism Fellowship Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and launched in May.

From the site: "We believe that if science reporters and editors have convenient and timely access to the work of peers across the country, they can better evaluate and improve their own performance.

"Our goal is to provide a broad sampling of the past day's science news and, where possible, of news releases or other news tips related to publication of science news in the general circulation news media, mainly of the U.S. Our goal is to have a new batch of posts up each day of the work week by 1 p.m. Eastern time."

IHT to publish citizen media

The International Herald Tribune is planning to carry stories written by members of the public.

A deal with a South Korean news website, OhmyNews International, will allow the IHT to publish material from "citizen journalists" as if it were another news service. The agreement is believed to be an attempt to boost the Herald Tribune's coverage of Asia.

From an article in London's Guardian: "Such a move is likely to be seen as a sign of the growing legitimacy of citizen reporting, which has been much heralded in recent years, particularly in the wake of major news events like the July 7 bombings or the Buncefield depot explosion. But it has not secured the kind of mainstream recognition that its advocates demand."