Research has shown that in large part, the digital strategies most newspapers have adopted since the New York Times went online in 1996 aren't working. Readers still prefer their content in a form that stains their fingers, as shown by the Newspaper Association of America here and here.
Meanwhile, newspaper managers and editors have insisted that reporters constantly feed the online beast. Audience "clicks" drives the content for some free newspaper websites in hopes of attracting readers and maybe encouraging them to visit the paid website containing quality news content. Reporters receive metrics on the most popular stories, but overall data on how the company's digital strategy is rarely funneled down to the worker bees.
I'd like to find out how reporters truly feel about their management's digital strategy, if journalists believe they are fulfilling their role as a public servant, and what they know about the strategy's success.
I believe that I'd find that reporters are completely unaware of the scholarly research showing that digital is not working for newspapers, but do not support or believe in their company's online plan and are overall unhappy.
Findings from a study like this could show that some newspapers are completely doing digital wrong, including insisting that reporters carry out their ridiculous digital strategies and ignoring the valuable insight of reporters who interact with readers more often than management who craft the digital plans. This could be helpful as the industry struggles to find a way forward and attempts to morph into successful financial online enterprises.
Meanwhile, newspaper managers and editors have insisted that reporters constantly feed the online beast. Audience "clicks" drives the content for some free newspaper websites in hopes of attracting readers and maybe encouraging them to visit the paid website containing quality news content. Reporters receive metrics on the most popular stories, but overall data on how the company's digital strategy is rarely funneled down to the worker bees.
I'd like to find out how reporters truly feel about their management's digital strategy, if journalists believe they are fulfilling their role as a public servant, and what they know about the strategy's success.
I believe that I'd find that reporters are completely unaware of the scholarly research showing that digital is not working for newspapers, but do not support or believe in their company's online plan and are overall unhappy.
Findings from a study like this could show that some newspapers are completely doing digital wrong, including insisting that reporters carry out their ridiculous digital strategies and ignoring the valuable insight of reporters who interact with readers more often than management who craft the digital plans. This could be helpful as the industry struggles to find a way forward and attempts to morph into successful financial online enterprises.
AR: I get the impression you want to do a study that compares journalists' perception of their newspaper's digital success and the actual numbers? If so, that sounds interesting. Would you be doing semi-structured interviews or surveys, though? If the former, you'll want to narrow down the number and type of newspapers so it doesn't becoming an overly ambitious project.
ReplyDeleteI'd love for the results of this research to be picked up by news rooms. Sadly, I don't know that it would make a difference. Maybe a follow-up study would be: Why are newspaper executives so married to the idea of a digital platform, and what are they basing this on?
ReplyDelete