The Influence of Shareability and Metrics in Journalistic Decision-Making
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The Influence of Shareability and Metrics in Journalistic Decision-Making A thesis presented to the faculty of the Scripps College of Communication of Ohio University and the Institute for Communication and Media Studies of Leipzig University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degrees Master of Science in Journalism (Ohio University), Master of Arts in Global Mass Communication (Leipzig University) Michelle K. Rotuno-Johnson December 2020 © 2020 Michelle Rotuno-Johnson. All Rights Reserved. This thesis titled The Influence of Shareability and Metrics in Journalistic Decision-Making by MICHELLE K. ROTUNO-JOHNSON has been approved for the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, the Scripps College of Communication, and the Institute for Communication and Media Studies by Hans K. Meyer Associate Professor of Journalism Scott Titsworth Dean, Scripps College of Communication, Ohio University Christian Pieter Hoffman Director, Institute for Communication and Media Studies, Leipzig University ii Abstract ROTUNO-JOHNSON, MICHELLE K., M.S., Journalism; M.A., Global Mass Communication, December 2020 3702711 The Influence of Shareability and Metrics in Journalistic Decision-Making Director of Thesis: Hans K. Meyer Committee Members: Jatin Srivastava, Alexander Godulla This paper examines how social media metrics and website traffic have influenced journalists’ perceptions of what is newsworthy. Drawing on research that establishes a tendency for editors to adjust stories on their website based on audience preferences, the researcher hypothesizes journalists at higher levels of newsroom production will view metrics and traffic as more important than journalists at lower levels of newsroom production. This paper also examines if shareability can be considered its own news value. A survey of journalists indicates that news workers at all levels of production rely on more traditional news values to shape their coverage, though they do prefer for their stories to do well online. iii Acknowledgments This project was an exercise in patience, tenacity, and humility. People told me that grad school would be the most stressful time in my life, and I think I believe them. I could not have done this without the encouragement and help of several people. First, thank you to Dr. Hans Meyer at Ohio University for your support and guidance with my survey, writing, and research. Your help has been more valuable than I can say, and you helped me push my thinking and improve my work. Thank you also to Dr. Jatin Srivastava at OU and Dr. Alexander Godulla at the University of Leipzig for being willing to see this through with me as my other committee members. I am grateful to the Scripps School of Communication at OU and the Institute for Communication and Media Studies at Uni Leipzig for the opportunity to study abroad in Germany. My colleagues Yasmeen Ebada, Tess Herman, Bailey Dick, and Natascha Toft Roelsgaard kept me smiling and encouraged me to keep pushing to the finish line. Thank you to my parents for instilling in me the values of higher education and self-improvement. Thank you to my partner Lexi for your patience and constant support, even when the stress of writing and revising made me surly. Lastly, thank you very much to the journalists who completed my survey, for your contributions to my research. iv Table of Contents Page Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iii Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. iv List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... vi Chapter 1: Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2: Literature Review .............................................................................................. 4 Gatekeeping and Agenda-Setting ................................................................................. 5 News Values in Newsroom Routines ........................................................................... 8 Laying the Foundation for News Value Research ...................................................... 10 The Internet and Social Media: Changing How Newsrooms Work ........................... 12 New Values in the 21st Century ................................................................................. 14 Other News Values Research: Appealing to the Audience ........................................ 16 Different Coverage Levels, Different Values ....................................................... 17 Defining Shareability .................................................................................................. 18 Summary and Research Questions.............................................................................. 23 Chapter 3: Method ............................................................................................................ 25 Survey Instrument ....................................................................................................... 25 The Factorial or Vignette Survey Method in Communication Research .............. 27 Survey Distribution ..................................................................................................... 28 Chapter 4: Analysis and Results ....................................................................................... 29 Descriptive Statistics ................................................................................................... 29 Statistical Tests ........................................................................................................... 35 Chapter 5: Discussion ....................................................................................................... 40 Research Limitations .................................................................................................. 43 Theoretical and Practical Implications........................................................................ 46 Final Thoughts ............................................................................................................ 48 References ......................................................................................................................... 49 v List of Tables Page Table 1 Survey Respondents’ News Value Rankings...................................................... 30 Table 2 Survey Respondents’ Scenario Rankings ........................................................... 32 vi Chapter 1: Introduction The wide availability of social media has altered the news media landscape. Long gone are the days people waited for the morning newspaper or television updates to learn about the goings-on in their neighborhoods and across the world. Now, details of important events spread on social media before news organizations have a chance to get the facts on air, online, or to print. A recent Pew study found two-thirds of adults get at least some news from social media (Shearer & Matsa, 2018). And, a 2018 study found eight in 10 newspeople use social media in their daily routine, for gathering information, reporting, and sharing stories (Willnat & Weaver). The proliferation of social media users in the last 10-15 years has also created a more direct channel from the audience to the reporter. Journalists receive instant feedback on Twitter, Facebook, and other social platforms on their job performance and what their viewers, readers, and/or listeners want to be covered. As newsrooms’ online and social audiences grew, companies developed ways to track the traffic. What is the top story on our website? How long are people spending on each story? How many people saw this Facebook post? Social media analytics give news decision-makers data in real time to determine what news is the most enticing to their audiences, if not the most important. Studies (Bright & Nicholls 2014, Harcup & O’Neill 2017, Vu 2014) show that, for online editors at least, audience reaction dictates which stories are shared on social media and featured in prominent places on news websites. One pair of researchers said the online audience has “a clear impact on journalistic practice.” (Bright & Nicholls 2014, p. 178). 1 Do reporters feel this influence, too? If reporters and editors are pursuing stories simply because they are shareable, not because of other inherent value, this could indicate a massive shift in newsroom routines where the audience tells journalists what is important, and journalists follow their lead. This project attempts to determine how social media reaction and engagement, or “shareability,” factors into a journalist’s decision to pursue and/or publish a news story. It builds on recent articles (specifically authored by Harcup & O’Neill) suggesting a revision of Galtung and Ruge’s 1965 news values study in the field of journalism and mass communication. This thesis will also use Shoemaker and Reese’s 1996 book, “Mediating the Message,” to examine influences on news content and how news values fit into their hierarchy of influences. Existing academic research (Bright & Nicholls 2014, Harcup & O’Neill 2017, Vu 2014) has already established a trend among news organizations to include social media metrics and online web traffic into their daily decision making. There is also an established precedent for news organizations to also