Journalism is about serving the public. It is about connecting the dots, enlightening and expanding the dialogue, and giving voice to the voiceless.
Most journalists we interviewed steered clear of responding to uncivil comments online, fearing that doing so might escalate the incivility or because they believed it was outside their journalistic role.
Increased Audience Engagement
A common criticism from the right is that journalists mask a liberal worldview behind the false objectivity of “both sides.” Critics on the left argue that journalistic claims of objectivity are a mask for a perspective that privileges a straight, white, male view of the world. Both of these critiques are problematic for journalists seeking to be honest brokers of debate.
Increasing audience engagement through platforms like a HARO alternative can help address these problems by making journalism more visible to a larger group of people. It can also help increase the credibility of a publication and create a more powerful social force to drive change in a complex, dangerous time.
Many publishers have experimented with membership models in a range of ways. The key is considering a membership strategy in light of long-term goals and audience needs. A key decision is whether to restrict access to news to members only and how to communicate this choice to audiences. A successful membership program should promote knowledge exchange, deepen connections with readers, and generate revenue. Some publishers use a combination of sponsorships and ticket sales to encourage participation.
Better Audience Reach
Many newsrooms have seen that engaging with community members as producers and reporters is the best way to grow their audiences and build sustainable revenue. This requires significant investment in training new journalists and a commitment to work closely with readers.
Despite the decline in traditional and online advertising, many publications still rely on reader-generated revenues to cover the cost of their journalism. A few publishers have also developed membership programs, which can be a sustainable funding source.
Increased Revenue
The news business is facing unprecedented challenges, including declining revenue and years of layoffs of experienced staff. It’s time to look hard at our ethics code to ensure it addresses new forms of journalism and supports high standards.
Moreover, journalists must understand that they should always credit other journalists, even when republishing their work. In this way, we can build up a common pool of knowledge in the field. This also demonstrates to the public that we are not just “beating the competition” for a story; we’re also building upon the existing work of others.
The news business must also move away from a model that relies on initial observations to one that emphasizes verification and interpretation. This means we will have to shift more of our reporting to knowledge-based journalism and be willing to pay for the necessary tools. This will often require a shift to a less-restrained use of copyrighted material. But a shift to a more knowledge-based approach should not be seen as justification for violating copyright law.
Better Marketing
Inviting the community into reporting can help journalists with a difficult but essential task: getting public support for their work. This can be especially important when covering controversial stories. It can also help generate interest in a story that has not gained traction.
The best way to encourage participation, the report says, is for journalists to be responsive on multiple platforms. It’s also important for newsrooms to elevate strong contributions in conversational spaces, so the contributor feels recognized and can serve as a model to others.
Many of the participants in the project noted that cultivating a community that supports journalism is an act of journalism itself. Increasingly, people don’t just consume news; they contribute to it. The people who participate in a journalist’s community can help the journalist bolster the credibility of their work and sustain it over time. That’s a powerful, mutually beneficial relationship. But if it needs to be carefully managed, it can backfire. The report points out that some commenters use their participation as a platform to promote a particular viewpoint or agenda.
Build a Community
Newsrooms and their readers and listeners have much in common, from a desire for a better world to reliable information. Yet, a lack of community engagement, antagonism towards the press, and ongoing disparities in media representation all work against open access to journalism that meets these needs.
A recent study found that more than four-in-ten Americans want their local journalists to be members of their communities. But, except for some hyper-local community radios and news websites, most local outlets need help to meet this demand.
As a result, communities of color feel alienated from the news media. Whether they’re subjected to racist, sexist, or anti-immigrant coverage, stories that bolster negative stereotypes about their communities, or the endless cycle of traumatic and often false stories in which police kill people of color. In contrast, white community members call 911, the experience of being misrepresented in the news creates deep distrust among many local audiences.
