Riding the Engagement Wave: How Engaged Journalism

Can Boost Your Career

Visiting research fellow, 2013-14 academic year

Jake Batsell @jbatsell jbatsell@smu.edu

Assistant professor, Division of Journalism

SPJ Fort Worth Careers Conference #spjfwnow February 21, 2015

#spjfwnow • @jbatsell • 2.21.15

News used to be a one-way lecture.

Audience attention was taken for granted.

#spjfwnow • @jbatsell • 2.21.15

Today, news is a perpetual conversation.

Audiences have infinite options. How can news organizations build loyalty?

Engagement, Loyalty and Revenue • @jbatsell • 6.11.14

• Based on visits to more than 25 news organizations in U.S./U.K.

• 100+ interviews

• Aimed at journalists, academics, students and anyone else interested

in the future of news

• Part of CJR Books series

• More details: j.mp/engagedj

ENGAGED JOURNALISM (Columbia University Press, Feb. ‘15)

JEM 499 • @jbatsell • 10.7.14 #spjfwnow • @jbatsell • 2.21.15

What is engaged journalism?

My definition:

The degree to which a news organization actively considers and interacts with its audience in furtherance of its journalistic

and financial mission.

I found that news organizations are trying to engage audiences in five main ways:

#spjfwnow • @jbatsell • 2.21.15

1. Face-to-face engagement #spjfwnow • @jbatsell • 2.21.15

2. News as conversation #spjfwnow • @jbatsell • 2.21.15

3. Serving the ‘passionate vertical’ #spjfwnow • @jbatsell • 2.21.15

4. Search, explore, play #spjfwnow • @jbatsell • 2.21.15

5. Measuring and monetizing the audience relationship

#spjfwnow • @jbatsell • 2.21.15

The book, boiled down to a tweet:

#spjfwnow • @jbatsell • 2.21.15

How can embracing engaged journalism help your career?

#spjfwnow • @jbatsell • 2.21.15

Meet Karen

Workman.

Since I interviewed her in August 2012:

• Promoted by Digital First Media to Project Thunderdome in NYC

• Now: Social Strategy Editor for The New York Times.

#spjfwnow • @jbatsell • 2.21.15

Her advice to her successor as The Oakland Press’ engagement editor:

“Don’t cheapen it. This is not all about pushing links out on social media ... Really, it boils down to caring about our audience.”

Other young journalists who were promoted since I interviewed them for the book:

#spjfwnow • @jbatsell • 2.21.15

Audience engagement skills also are essential for advertising, PR, content marketing …

#spjfwnow • @jbatsell • 2.21.15

@SM_Dallas

@smcfortworth

Thanks!

Visiting research fellow, 2013-14 academic year

Jake Batsell @jbatsell jbatsell@smu.edu

Assistant professor, Division of Journalism

More info: j.mp/engagedj