news consumption: meeting people where they are...got news in the past 14 days from … source %...
TRANSCRIPT
News Consumption: Meeting People Where They Are
Susan Nold Talia Stroud@SusanNold @TaliaStroud@AStraussInst @EngagingNews
Outline of this session
Your work in the modern communication environment
Snapshot of public attitudes about and use of media
Engaging and educating audiences
Outline of this session
Your work in the modern communication environment
Snapshot of public attitudes about and use of media
Engaging and educating audiences
The Annette Strauss Institute exists to cultivate informed voters and engaged citizens. We do so through research, education and outreach programs focused on three key pillars: civic discovery, young people and civil dialogue.
“I really care and I think I can make a difference.“ – Annette Greenfield Strauss
Your Job ...
Your job …
Your job …
Learn Impact Educate Act Lead• Learn – be informed and accurate• Impact – get your point across, make it stick• Educate – constituents, reporters, public, staff, legislators
• Action – vote, endorsement, acceptance• Lead – advance your goals/agenda
Observations ‐ challenges:
•21st Century news environment is more diverse, fragmented, less transparent.
•Audience attention is more complex, scarce.•The “capacity” of government hasn’t expanded at the same rate the demands have increased.
A en on → me → data → value
•Competition for our attention. Get it. Keep it.•Hyperlinked internet vs. “closed” platforms• The Attention Economy•Attention Management•New policy questions, ethical considerations, privacy concerns.
Observations ‐ opportunities:
• “News literacy” education and “Media literacy” education is needed
• Skilled 21st Century Communicators are needed•Media’s impact on democracy and society should be explored and understood
•Digital’s impact on “news” democracy and society should be better understood.
•Understanding government capacity and pressures.
Digital requires a new playbook for communicators.• Better able to target audiences, customize messages.• More ways to reach and engage your audience.• Perhaps easier to mobilize and connect with your audience.
However …• There is more competition for audience attention.• Audience attention spans are short.• Messages and narratives can get out of your control quickly.
Themes in the Texas Media and Society survey:• Where people get news• Identifying Fact vs. Opinion• Identifying “news”• Handling unfamiliar sources• Fact‐checking• Blurred lines between professional and personal/individual and institution
• Anonymity – less transparency and disclosure
Remember ‐• Work you do is as needed as ever• Apply principled leadership to your work• Understand the impacts on society• Become an informed news consumer• Effective communication is a key to making a difference – solve complex problems
• Thoughtful approach to your work• Import to staying current and continue to learn
Outline of this session
Your work in the modern communication environment
Snapshot of public attitudes about and use of media
Engaging and educating audiences
• Texas Media & Society Survey (TMASS)• Three‐wave study• June 2 – June 14, 2016• Fielded by GfK / Knowledge Networks• Representative sample of 1,006 Texans and 1,009 Americans• Questions ask about media use, community involvement, and political engagement
• Thanks to generous funding from the Cain Foundation, the Denius Chair for Press Integrity, and the Moody Endowment for Excellence in Communication
Public Attitudes about Media Coverage of PoliticsThe news media … Agree Neither Disagree
Need to do more to hold political candidates and elected officials accountable.
73.8% 18.6 5.5
Focus too much on the loudest voices. 70.1 22.9 5.3
Focus too much on scandals. 69.6 19.6 9.0
Are manipulated by elected officials who want to get media coverage.
63.0 27.3 8.1
Should give more coverage to political candidates running for office.
25.1 42.9 30.1
Public Attitudes about Fact vs. OpinionAgree Neither Disagree
The news media should just present the facts, without any analysis.
57.6% 22.3 18.3
It is easy for me to tell the difference between hard news and opinion in the media.
54.0 28.9 15.3
Journalists have difficulty removing their personal opinions from their reporting.
53.7 32.1 12.5
It is impossible for journalists to objectively report the news.
35.5 30.8 31.4
Journalists should be able to include their own views when covering a story.
21.1 26.9 49.9
35%
53%
12%
Thinking about the news media as a whole, do you think that they have a ...
Liberal bias
Neither or not sure
Conservative bias
5%10%
23%51%
11%
How often do you come across news and opinion stories from organizations that you haven’t heard of before?
All of the timeMost of the timeAbout half of the timeSome of the timeNone of the time
6%
18%
19%34%
23%
How often do you check the accuracy of the news you get?
All of the timeMost of the timeAbout half of the timeSome of the timeNone of the time
Journalist Credibility and Social Media(results only among the 72.6% who use social media)
When journalists use social networking sites … More Credible No Effect Less Credible
To post their personal views about the news. 9.4% 53.0 35.6
To post personal details about their lives. 7.5 65.3 25.8
To promote stories that they wrote. 8.8 66.6 23.0
To respond to questions about the news. 28.7 59.9 9.8
Do you think that journalists should disclose …
Their partisan affiliation if they report on politics
26.8% Yes
55.1% No
16.4% Uncertain
Their investments if they report on the stock market
21.1% Yes
62.5% No
14.7% Uncertain
Their sexual orientation if they report on same‐sex marriage
17.1% Yes
67.2% No
14.4% Uncertain
Their religious affiliation if they report on religion.
19.3% Yes
63.9% No
15.4% Uncertain
Companies that buy advertising from them, they should let the public know.
63.7% Agree
The company that owns them, they should let the
public know.
71.6% Agree
When news organizations report on …
Donate money to political candidates if they want to.
54.5% Agree
Sign petitions for causes they believe in if they want to.
70.2% Agree
Journalists should …
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Facebook YouTube Instagram Twitter Snapchat Reddit Other None
Use of Social Media
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
How closely do you pay attention to the following categories of news?(% somewhat or very closely)
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
How closely do you pay attention to the following categories of news?(% somewhat or very closely)
18‐29 60+
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Television Computer Smartphone Print Radio Family andfriends
Tablet
How often do you get news from each of the following?(% often)
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Television Computer Smartphone Print Radio Family andfriends
Tablet
How often do you get news from each of the following?(% often)18‐29 60+
Got news in the past 14 days from …Source %
Local television news 56.0
Local newspaper 37.3
Facebook 28.1
ABC / CBS / NBC Nightly News 25.8
CNN 22.8
Fox News Cable Channel 21.0
Yahoo News 16.1
NPR 13.4
MSNBC 12.9
Google News 11.3
Sources %
The Huffington Post 10.3%
ABC / CBS / NBC Late night comedy 9.4
USA Today 9.0
YouTube 8.3
The New York Times 8.1
Washington Post 6.8
NewsHour on PBS 6.6
Comedy programs on cable channels 6.0
Twitter 5.7
Wall Street Journal 5.7
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
In the past month, from which sources do you get information about local politics?
0%20%40%60%80%100%
In the past month, from which sources do you get information about local politics?
18‐29 60+
14.3%Contacted a
politician or a local government official
2.7%Worked in a
political party or action group
In the past 12 months…
24.5%Signed a petition
Contacted a politician or a local government official in the last 12 monthsAge Yes No
18‐29 9.1% 23.3%
30‐44 15.4% 26.8%
45‐59 28.7% 26.2%
60+ 46.9% 23.7%
Education Yes No
Less than high school 3.5% 13.8%
High school 15.3% 32.0%
Some college 34.0% 27.4%
Bachelor's degree or higher 47.2% 26.8%
Race / Ethnicity Yes No
White, Non‐Hispanic 79.7% 62.4%
Black, Non‐Hispanic 4.9% 12.7%
Hispanic 9.8% 16.5%
Other 5.6% 8.4%
Gender Yes No
Male 47.5% 52.1%
Female 52.5% 47.9%
Outline of this session
Your work in the modern communication environment
Snapshot of public attitudes about and use of media
Engaging and educating audiences
Engaging News Project
To provide research‐based techniques for engaging online audiences in commercially viable and
democratically beneficial ways.
demographics
demographics
Reporter Involvement in Comments
DesignPartner with local news station
Across 70 different political posts, we randomized whether:1)Reporter engaged 2)Station engaged3)No engagement
Engagement was respectful, highlighting strong comments
ResultsReporter engagement …
• Reduced incivility• Increased provision of
evidence
Reporter Involvement in Comments
Techniques to spark conversation and highlight productive comments: 1. Answer legitimate questions (e.g. “Good question Mandy…”)2. Ask questions (e.g. “What are your thoughts on that?”)3. Provide additional information (e.g. “Here’s a link to the bill text.”)4. Encourage and highlight good discussion (e.g. “Tom, you bring up something
interesting”)
Problems and Solutions:Writing Effective Headlines
• 50 A/B tests• Solutions vs. non‐solutions headlines
Solutions headlines = more page views
Quizzes
engagingnewsproject.org/create‐a‐quiz
News Consumption: Meeting People Where They Are
Susan Nold Talia Stroud@SusanNold @TaliaStroud@AStraussInst @EngagingNews