Fresh useful insights for people advancing quality, innovative and sustainable journalism
You might have heard: Research from API shows that building trust with readers is not only a journalistic aspiration, but a business imperative: People who put a higher premium on trust are more likely to engage with a news source by sharing a story or following the source on social media and more likely to pay for news
But did you know: To regain readers’ trust, news organizations need to focus on reporting that holds government accountable (Washington Post)
“Journalism is far from dead … but it sure has taken a number of body blows,” Margaret Sullivan writes “And some are self-inflicted.” What journalists need to do next to regain readers’ trust, Sullivan writes, is double-down on watchdog reporting. “Amid all the depressing numbers in media-trust studies, one statistic shines like a beacon: Three of four Americans give the media credit for keeping public officials from wrongdoing. … Trust in journalism may never get back to the post-Watergate level. But by holding government accountable, emphasizing accuracy and standing firm for factual reality, we can regain some of what’s lost.”
+ More on watchdog reporting: A new book argues that stakeholder-driven journalism, “media created and controlled by communities of practice and interest” and “people who affect or are affected by issues and organizations,” is the future of watchdog reporting (Nieman Lab)
+ Noted: Quartz plans to double its European sales and marketing team in the next year as more than 25 percent of its revenue in 2016 came from outside the U.S. (Digiday); Facebook is testing a Snapchat and Instagram Stories clone called Facebook Stories (Business Insider); St. Louis Post-Dispatch is offering buyouts to employees and says it will allow a maximum of 10 employees to accept the deal (St. Louis Business Journal); The Huffington Post launched a health coverage vertical called The Scope (Digiday)
How to gain reader trust when using unnamed sources: Be transparent about your sourcing and how you reported a story (The Conversation)
“Studies have shown that using unnamed sources hurts journalists’ credibility with the public,” Anthony Fargo writes. “At the same time, some potentially important stories would not be reported if journalists were unable to promise sources anonymity.” With that in mind, Fargo asks: How should news outlets deal with anonymous sourcing, and how should audiences read unnamed sources? Fargo argues that for readers, a news source’s reputation should play into their decisions about whether to trust an article with anonymous sources. But Fargo also says that readers should pay attention to how transparent a news organization is with its sourcing — for example, do they explain how they gathered information for the story, or is there a public editor to criticize the publication when it strays from its own standards?
+ Related: In the first days of Trump’s presidency, an unprecedented amount of leaks are coming out of the White House (Washington Post) and Nieman Lab’s Laura Hazard Owen explores how easy it is to use SecureDrop, finding that it was “way easier than I thought it would be” (Nieman Lab)
The state of ‘fake news’ in Spain: There’s some politically driven misinformation, but much of it is the result of weak reporting (Digiday)
Around the world, each country’s brand of fake news differs, Lucinda Southern writes: In Spain, there’s some politically driven misinformation, but Univision political reporter María Ramírez says she believes most of it is driven by weak reporting, a result of Spain’s limited investments in journalism since 2008. “The economic crisis created a lot of insecurity, foreclosures, mass firings and the ascent of new parties that have shattered the two-party system we have had since the consolidation of democracy,” explains El País managing editor David Alandete. “I would not say it is the cause of the proliferation of fake-news sites, but those conditions certainly have originated a distrust in all institutions, included the press.”
+ “Unbalanced news is a pre-digital problem that’s become worse in the digital age,” Ethan Zuckerman writes. “News organizations would overfocus election coverage on the horse race and underfocus on policy issues well before the internet. Add in an explosion of ad-driven news sites and the ability to choose what we pay attention to and you’ve got a recipe for echo chambers. Mix in algorithmic filtering, where social media platforms try to deliver us the information we most want to see, you’ve got filter bubbles.” (Deutsche Welle)
When undergoing a digital transformation, should you have a 3-year plan or a 3-month plan? Perhaps both (McKinsey & Company)
Many large organizations are used to operating with three year plans — but when a company is in the midst of a digital transformation, companies need to move more quickly. A better way for companies to plan might be a “two-speed strategy”: Have an overarching multi-year plan for where you want your company to go, but evaluate where you are on a more frequent basis, perhaps every three months or even more frequently. John Weinberg, head of strategy for Sephora, explains that this keeps you working toward your “north star,” but lets you adjust as needed: “You have to make sure you’re bringing strategic dialogue into those interactions on a monthly basis — at a minimum, quarterly — given how rapidly things can change.”
Platforms like Facebook and Google have made changes intended to improve their relationships with publishers, but some publishers say they’re still waiting for ‘real change’ in terms of monetization (Digiday)
“There’s real meaningful change that needs to happen” in publishers’ relationships with platforms, says Daily Beast president and publisher Mike Dyer. It’s fundamentally about monetization. More than product array, more than relationships, more than hires.” And while platforms like Facebook have introduced some revenue initiatives, many have come with a catch for publishers: For example, Facebook introduced mid-roll video ads, but they have to be used on video that are 90 seconds or longer — that won’t work for publishers that are seeing good engagement with 60-second videos, and it comes with the risk of engagement dropping off when a user hits an ad.
Journalists arrested in DC protests may have been arrested as part of a ‘street sweep,’ in which case the charges should likely be dismissed (CJR)
The six journalists who were arrested and charged with felony rioting in Washington, D.C., while covering protests around the inauguration have the law on their side, Jonathan Peters explains. The journalists’ arrest reports do not contain any specific claims against them; other journalists covering the protests say that they were arrested with more than 200 people in what they described a “street sweep.” “Assuming the facts are as they seem — the journalists were simply covering the protest and got caught in a street sweep — the charges should be dismissed. They’re a waste of time and stand to chill expressive activities and violate the First Amendment,” Peters writes.
The post Need to Know: Jan. 30, 2017 appeared first on American Press Institute.
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