MAI on the organizational levelPart 2 - Practices

Session 8

Photo: imago/ecomedia/robert fishman

Session 8 – MAI on the organizational level 2July 2013

In course B we illustrate MAI on the organizational level in practice. The two main questions in this course are:

1. How do journalists perceive MAI on the level of news organizations?

2. What are good examples of news organization MAI in practice?

Session 8 – MAI on the organizational level 3July 2013

Question 1:

How do journalists perceive MAI on the level of news organizations?

Session 8 – MAI on the organizational level 4July 2013

Journalists tend to adhere much value to transparency …

Mean scores of total sample (N=1762) on the question: “News media should….”

…especially concerning newsroom sender transparency, and less concerning product transparency and process transparency.

1 1,5 2 2,5 3 3,5 4 4,5 5

explain its news decision processes in a specialsection, like a weblog or a rubric

provide links to the original sources of a journalisticpiece

publish its mission statement

publish a code of ethics

disclose ownership and affiliations (if any)

Session 8 – MAI on the organizational level 5July 2013

Journalists tend to adhere much value to audience interaction…

Mean scores of total sample (N=1762) on the question: “News media should….”

…especially when it comes to direct communication. However, active audience participation is valued less.

1 1,5 2 2,5 3 3,5 4 4,5 5

allow users online opportunities to participate inthe production of news stories

respond to users' comments/suggestions

employ an ombudsman/readers editor

provide online opportunities to communicatedirectly with journalists, for example via Facebook…

provide a contact for complaints about content

Session 8 – MAI on the organizational level 6July 2013

And there are clear international differences in the perceived importance of audience interaction

Session 8 – MAI on the organizational level 7July 2013

Moreover, perceptions depend on the type of news organization journalists are employed at…

Table 1. Media segment effect on the view of media accountability.a-b, x-y Horizontally read, the mean difference is significant at the 0.05 level

Session 8 – MAI on the organizational level 8July 2013

…and job position and age also affect perception on media accountability.

Table 2. The effect of job position and age on views about media accountability.a-b; x-y Horizontally read, the mean difference is significant at the 0.05 level

Session 8 – MAI on the organizational level 9July 2013

Question 2:

What are good examples of news organization MAI in practice?

Session 8 – MAI on the organizational level 10July 2013

eEditor

• chat box • get in contact with journalists• every day from 6am to 9pm• on the front page• users can suggest topics, report mistakes,

ask questions or give feedback• it has increased the number of unique

visitors, acts as an ombudsperson and a correction button

• Swedish newspaper Norran http://norran.se/

Session 8 – MAI on the organizational level 11July 2013

Journalists’/company’s blogs

• Promotes transparency of sources and transparency of professional decision making.

• Gives insights to production processes.

• Easily implemented. • Editors’ Blog of the

BBC News http://bbc.in/NuApK • Swiss local newspaper

Interna Blog http://bit.ly/JaWhDU

Session 8 – MAI on the organizational level 12July 2013

La Repubblica domani• La Repubblica domani is an open newsroom conference. • It reveals news production processes as the most important editorial

meetings are broadcasted online (not streamed live, but available online).• The users can see how journalists justify their choices, comment the news

and discuss the paper’s issues.

Session 8 – MAI on the organizational level 13July 2013

Correction or error buttons

• Major aspect open error management. • Esp. in online publishing many tools that foster an

open and transparent error management are available.

• Berliner Morgenpost “Leider falsch” http://www.morgenpost.de/berlinaktuell/article1077710/

• Swiss newspaper Tagesanzeiger http://www.tagesanzeiger.ch

• Swiss free newspaper 20Minuten http://www.20min.ch, http://www.20min.ch/ro/

• Dutch public service broadcaster NOS’ website www.nos.nl/nos/herstel/

Session 8 – MAI on the organizational level 14July 2013

Open News List

• The open newsroom policy of The Guardian is a remarkable concept. Next to many other tools, they offer their newslist to all users.

• Open Newslist: – users are able to see which stories are

discussed or produced by the newspaper’s stuff or what the editors think about their coverage.

– they get a notion of how the news is produced.

– they can post what they think of the stories or suggest ideas – all user-friendly via Twitter or via Email.

– it is easy and inexpensive to establish as it can be an embedded google doc http://bit.ly/o3gOAh.

Session 8 – MAI on the organizational level 15July 2013

Readers’ Advisory Boards

• Includes the audience into reflection and production processes. • Composed of readers representing the diversity of the audience.• Their “task” is to attend panels in the newspaper’s headquarters

and discuss their ideas, share their opinions and give feedback.• Such tools ensure transparency, foster media literacy and

have a high impact on the loyalty between user and medium .

• German boulevard newspaper BILD http://bit.ly/MMsYPn• Austrian local newspaper Vorarlberger Nachrichten

http://bit.ly/OZ3dwT• Swiss boulevard newspaper Sonntagsblick http://bit.ly/Oo9MHG• Catalan newspaper El Punt http://bit.ly/QwmOVg

Session 8 – MAI on the organizational level 16July 2013

Reading assignment for news organization in practice

Bichler, K., H. Harro-Loit, M. Karmasin and D. Kraus. 2012. “Best Practice Guidebook”. MediaAct Workingpaper No. 14/2012. Accessed May 2, 2013. http://www.mediaact.eu/fileadmin/user_upload/Guidebook/Best_Practice_Guidebook_new.pdf

De Haan, Y. 2011. Between Professional Autonomy and Public Responsibility. Accountability and Responsiveness in Dutch Media and Journalism. PhD diss., University of Amsterdam.

García-Avilés, J.-A., J.-L. González-Esteban, A. Kaltenbrunner, M. Karmasin. 2011. “Self-regulation and the new challenges in journalism: Comparative study across European countries”. Revista Latina de communication social, 66: 2011. http://www.revistalatinacs.org/11/art/940_Elche/19_EstebanEN.html

EthicNet (2013): Collecion of codes of journalism ethics in Europe. http://ethicnet.uta.fi/ethicnet_collection_of_codes_of_journalism_ethics_in_europe

Evers, H., H. Groenhart, J. Groesen. 2010. “The News Ombudsman: Watchdog or Decoy?” In Studies for the Netherlands Press. Diemen: AMB.

Heikkilä, H., D. Domingo, J. Pies, M. Glowacki, M. Kuś and O. Baisnée. 2012. “Media Accountability Goes Online. A transnational study on emerging practices and innovations.” MediaAct Workingpaper No. 14/2012. Accessed May 2, 2013. http://www.mediaact.eu/fileadmin/user_upload/WP4_Outcomes/WP4_Report.pdf

Karlsson, M. 2010. “Rituals of Transparency. Evaluating Online News Outlets Use of Transparency Rituals in the US, UK and Sweden.” Journalism Studies, 11: 535-545

Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. 2013. The Online Media Self-Regulation Guidebook. http://www.osce.org/fom/99560

Silverman, C. 2007. Regret the Error. New York: Union Square Press.