OFF THE TOP
You might have heard: The public isn’t sure whether the pandemic is helping or hurting the finances of news organizations (Pew Research)
But did you know: From Fresno to Houston to Raleigh, communities are rewarding news orgs for COVID-19 service (National Press Club Journalism Institute)
While the journalism industry is struggling mightily as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, one silver lining is that readers may finally be realizing that their local news outlets are vital, and in desperate need of financial help. Editors say that an increase in traffic is driving a rise in digital subscriptions and donations, and that they’ve seen a surge in audience engagement on social media, newsletters and apps.
+ Noted: BuzzFeed will furlough some staff after the coronavirus pandemic hit revenue even harder than expected (Bloomberg); The Lenfest Institute and the Membership Puzzle Project are creating a guide to membership models in news (Lenfest Institute)
API UPDATE
By serving a target audience of 45- to 64-year-olds, the Wilmington StarNews increased its readership and digital subscriptions (Better News)
The Wilmington StarNews of North Carolina identified readers aged 45 to 64 as an audience segment that had left behind printed newspapers, but was still invested in the community and active in city life. They began devoting more resources to creating content for this group, focused on newsletters and Facebook, and developed live events with that age bracket in mind. This story is part of a series on Better News that showcases innovative and experimental ideas that emerge from Table Stakes, the newsroom training program; and shares replicable tactics that benefit the news industry as a whole.
+ In this week’s edition of Factually, tools for a shifting debate on returning to life after COVID-19. Factually is a weekly newsletter produced by API and the Poynter Institute that covers fact-checking and misinformation.
TRY THIS AT HOME
Break big problems into small slices, and other tips for using solutions journalism to cover the coronavirus (The Whole Story, Solutions Journalism Network)
In a webinar hosted by the Solutions Journalism Network, Guardian editor Mark Rice-Oxley gave six practical insights for journalists and newsrooms covering the pandemic. They include looking for small slices of solutions within larger problems; diving deep into statistical anomalies that suggest that a city, country, or institution is faring better than others, which could signal a good starting point for a solutions story; and seizing the moment to focus on more optimistic stories.
+ NPR and Counter Culture Coffee are teaming up on coffee subscription plans that support NPR programming. (NPR Coffee Club)
OFFSHORE
European news organizations will ‘need to adapt to the new normal’ (European Journalism Centre)
COVID-19 is establishing a new normal, writes Adam Thomas, director of the European Journalism Centre. Even if news organizations survive this, he writes, they will enter into a completely different landscape, where people expect different things from their media outlets. He expects that audiences will lose trust in all institutions, including media, while also being open to finding news in unexpected ways. He also predicts a permanent rise in interest in science and health reporting. His tips: weather the storm, start listening, and prepare for disruptions by getting into “regular habit of scenario planning and experimentation.”
+ Related: How the media industry returns to a new workplace in reopened European markets (Digiday)
OFFBEAT
Virus experts aren’t getting the message out (The Atlantic)
Health officials need better ways of countering misinformation online, writes Renee DiResta, a technical research manager at the Stanford Internet Observatory. The posts that reach people on social media aren’t always those with the most reliable information, but the ones that have the most compelling memes, get the most likes or are shared by influencers. But health agencies, who are experts in the ways that diseases go viral in the real world, have failed to understand how to make high-quality content spread quickly on the internet. In the particular case of a pandemic like COVID-19, where authoritative information is produced slowly and cautiously, misinformation flooded the market early, leaving reliable sources to catch up.
+ Related: In an ongoing crisis, clear communication is more important and more difficult than when things seem normal. (Harvard Business Review)
+ Spotify’s new global visualization shows when two people are listening to the same song. (Fast Company)
UP FOR DEBATE
Local editors, publishers should hire journalism students stuck at home for summer internships (Gateway Journalism Review)
With both education and the journalism industry rocked by the coronavirus pandemic, Jackie Spinners argues that local news outlets should focus on giving internships — even unpaid ones — to journalism students. Many of them are back in their hometowns and anxious to practice the skills they have learned at college. She argues that the opportunity to work (remotely) in a newsroom and gather bylines while the news outlets can help develop new talents and build a journalism pipeline.
+ Related: Your summer news internship got canceled. Now what? (Poynter)
SHAREABLE
News outlets want more advertisers to act like Burger King (The New York Times)
Despite an increase in traffic to coronavirus stories, ad revenue has dropped precipitously for many news organizations, in part because brands often don’t want their ads showing up on the same page as a COVID-19 story. But some companies, like Burger King and Verizon, have continued or even grown their advertising spend while focusing their messaging on efforts to help customers during the pandemic.
FOR THE WEEKEND
+ Senior year derailed, a high school journalist pushes toward one last deadline (Tampa Bay Times)
+ How a Navajo Times journalist is documenting COVID-19 in Indian Country (Elle)
+ Why “Zoom fatigue”’ is tiring out your brain (National Geographic)
+ Will the coronavirus crisis finally crush New York’s tabloids? (Vanity Fair)
The post Need to Know: May 8, 2020 appeared first on American Press Institute.
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