Citizen Journalism in Citizen Journalism in 20072007

Steve Lacey, Dan Riffe, Esther Thorson, Margaret DuffyThanks to the generosity of the Project for Excellence in

Journalism, the Knight Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trust

Goals of the projectGoals of the project

How are consumers seeking and receiving news about their government, their communities and their fellow citizens?

What is the nature of news and information produced by these digital sites?

How extensive is the amount of public news and information coming from these community sites?

Who is the source of the efforts? From where is the financial support coming?

Methodology and approachMethodology and approach

Create a census of news forms and offerings

Develop a taxonomy of news categories, news sites, news formats, and business models

Sample and analyze news in large, medium, and small cities across the U.S.

Build a social network allowing seekers, experts, and interested parties to communicate, develop solutions

The content analysis processThe content analysis process

Phase I: Explore online citizen journalism activities to generate a reliable and valid content analysis protocol for use in a larger Phase II study (15 markets, large, medium and small)

Phase II: Coding the sampled sites for presentation, linkage, financial support, and citizen participation, expanding total numbers of sites found and reviewed

Defining citizen journalismDefining citizen journalism

Site must identify some specific geographic area

Site must indicate that a significant portion of content is provided by volunteers or community members, not professional journalists

Journalism content will mostly focus on the local geographic area

At least some of the material on the site must be originally produced or aggregated by citizens who participate

Neighborhood CitJNeighborhood CitJ

A blogger with an agendaA blogger with an agenda

Legacy news site Legacy news site

Richmond, VA rife with CitJRichmond, VA rife with CitJ

Not so participatory?Not so participatory?

Capability Blogs News Site

Upload community activities

8% 28%

Upload news/features 10% 40%

Upload letters to editor

8% 20%

Upload audio 0% 16%

Upload photos 5% 20%

Upload video 5% 12%

What we foundWhat we found

Online citizen journalism belongs to the citizens who build the web sites: strong gatekeepers

News sites more welcoming than blogs User content not the norm Increased linking to outside sites Considerable variation in the structures of both legacy and

citizen journalism sites, adding complexity to the coding Most citizen journalism sites are blogs or primarily blogs Many citizen journalism sites are trying to sell advertising,

but success varies widely; advertising much more common on news sites than blogs

Technology of sites varies, though most limited to RSS feeds

Opportunities for neighborhood level journalism as this is an area not usually covered by legacy news sites

Beta testing the social networkBeta testing the social network

Algorithms match seekers and Algorithms match seekers and resourcesresources

The Media Choice Model (Duffy, The Media Choice Model (Duffy, Thorson) offers guidanceThorson) offers guidance

An abundance of research and opinion about the new media landscape but little in the way of an organizing framework

The framework we created:

1. Explains why and how changes are occurring in the new media landscape2. Poses a new set of research

questions to ask3. Suggests a needs- and features- based segmented audience strategy with multiple news products

Home Media Capacity - 1975Home Media Capacity - 1975

Product Route to home Display Local storage

TV stations phone TV Cassette/ 8-track broadcast TV radio broadcast radio stereo Vinyl album

Local news mail

Advertising newspaper delivery phone

Radio Stations

non-electronic

Tom Wolzein, Sanford C. Bernstein & Co

Home Media Capacity – TodayHome Media Capacity – Today

Product Route to home Display Local storage cable VCR

TV stations phone/DSL TVInfo wireless radio DVD“Daily me” broadcast TV PC Web-

based storage content Server/ TiVo (PVR)Cable Nets broadcast radio stereo PCWeb sites satellite monitorLocal news mail headphones CD/CD-ROMContent from express delivery pager individuals iPod / storage MP3 player / iPodPeer-to-peer subcarriers / WIFI cell phone pagers - PDAsAdvertising newspaper delivery phone cable boxRadio stations PDA/Palm game console

game console Satellite radio non-electronic Storage

sticks/disks

Tom Wolzein, Sanford C. Bernstein & Co

Desire to Create Media Desire to Create Media ContentContent “When news happens it’s common for the first photographs

not to be sent via news wire, but posted to a Flickr site.” -- Newsweek, April 3, 2006

Growth of MySpace and Facebook Flickr, YouTube 30 million blogs with over 2 billion links Blogosphere size doubles every 5.5 months MSNBC site where people report on hurricanes, bombings,

other major events More and more frequently, citizen journalists will be there

first

Decreased Perception of Need for Decreased Perception of Need for Traditional NewsTraditional News

Mean agreement with the statement: “I need to get the news (national, international, local) every day.”

Across all ages, agreement down 6% from 1995 to 2005

Agreement among Baby Boomers down 5% from 1995-2005

Agreement among those 60+ down 8% from 1995-2005

The mean of youngest group’s expressed need for news is 29% lower than oldest group’s

Growing Demand for Self-Relevant Growing Demand for Self-Relevant InputInput

“Consumers want their media when they want it, how they want it and in whatever quantities they want it.”

-- Price-Waterhouse, 2006

RSS feedsiPod personalized playlistsTiVoPersonalized ringtonesGrowing preference for “news with a

viewpoint”

So How Can We Understand So How Can We Understand What’s Going On?What’s Going On?

First, begin with four basic communication needs that forms the basis of the Media Choice Model

◦Connectivity◦Information◦Entertainment◦Shopping/consuming

Every Instance of Media Use is Every Instance of Media Use is Motivated by a Communication Need Motivated by a Communication Need

Logging into Facebook, having special ring tones for your friends, and belonging to an online affinity group are connectivity behaviors

Searching for a map online is informational behavior

Listening to your iPod is entertainment behavior

Going to Amazon for books is shopping behavior

Second, Understand the Second, Understand the Features of the New Media Features of the New Media that Make Communication…that Make Communication…

◦Immediate◦Participatory◦Mobile (AND Immediate)◦Searchable◦Customizable◦Rich in sight, sound and movement◦On demand (time shifting)

Media Features Media Newspapers Radio TV Cable News Internet

Participation easy X Customizability X Time shifting X X Time flexibility (24/7) X X Mobility X X Interactivity X Search capacity X Immediacy X X X X Images X X X Sound X X X X Doesn’t require high attention X X X X Doesn’t require reading skills X X X X

Usability Features of Each News Usability Features of Each News MediumMedium

Know Your Customers’ AperturesKnow Your Customers’ Apertures

Aperture is a window of time in which people are most likely to be responsive to a persuasive media message.

For example, we only advertise cake mix on Thursday and Friday because cakes are only baked on the weekend.

News Consumption Is Aperture-News Consumption Is Aperture-ControlledControlled

For example:In 2005, three lifestage segments (high

income/kids; high and medium income/no kids) were more likely to spend time Sunday mornings with the Internet than with a newspaper (Kannon, 2006)

Newspaper use for information on Sunday mornings has plummeted for these lifestage groups (Kannon, 2006)

On weekday mornings young people’s aperture is open for entertainment; older people’s aperture is open for information (DDB 2005)

News TypesNews Types

Authoritative: Created and produced by news professionals

Created: News and information produced by audiences

Opinionated: News and information with attitude and voice (personality)

Collaborative: News and information co-produced by audiences and journalists

What’s a journalist What’s a journalist to do?to do?

How can one use the model to leverage online resources and expertise to grow audience in this new media

landscape?

Do Research and Pay Attention Do Research and Pay Attention to Itto It

Focus on needs, media features, lifestyles, aperture and preferences for news format and

Do your own content audit◦What are the tones and voices of your paper,

blog, or CitJ site??◦What does your site say is important and why?◦How are women and ethnic minorities

represented?

Measure Need States In Measure Need States In Readers and Non-ReadersReaders and Non-Readers

How important are each of the following in your choice to get news from one form of media over another?

News related to connectivity needs:Getting news I can share with my friendsGetting news that makes me feel smarterKnowing who wrote or compiled the newsBeing able to see who is reporting the news

News related to information needs:Alerting me to damaging or harmful situations Makes me think

News related to entertainment:Entertains me, makes me feel relaxed, is supportive of my point of view

Measure Preference for Media Measure Preference for Media Features Features

How important are each of the following in your choice to get news from one form of media over another?

Getting news when I want itGetting only the news I wantGetting news as soon as it happensGetting news that’s easy to understandGetting news that’s rich with imagesGetting news that I can share with my friends

Measure Aperture for Different Measure Aperture for Different Lifestyles/DemographicsLifestyles/Demographics

What media do you use in the ___ time of day to get information, stay

connected, be entertained?

Measure Preferences for News Measure Preferences for News Format Format

News that comes from a long-established source is most credible (authoritative)

News from other people like me is something I can really trust (opinionated)

I like seeing a major news event from the perspective of people who are experiencing it (created)

Consider How the Online and Consider How the Online and Print Versions Combine to Print Versions Combine to Fill NeedsFill Needs

Many online experiments bring need satisfaction and media features together in new ways

Communication Needs

Connectivity, InformationEntertainment, Shopping

INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES

Age, Income, Gender, Education, Culture, Race

APERTURETask to be done

Time of day

TRADITIONAL MEDIA FEATURES(Authoritative Content)

Print Sound Moving Images Portability Scanability

MEDIA CHOICES

GRATIFICATIONand

COMPLETENESS

NEW and TRADITIONAL MEDIA FEATURES(Authoritative and Created Content)

Print Sound Moving Images Portability ScanabilityParticipation Easy Immediacy Customizability Interactivity Search Mobility

New Technologies

NEWS APPROACHESAuthoritative Created Opinionated

Things to discussThings to discuss

What should CitJ gatekeeping role be? How can CitJ generate support? Volunteers, donations,

grant support, help from colleges & universities What evolving systems of distribution such as cell phones might work? How might CitJ expand use of links on home pages and

within stories? How can citizen journalism sites and blogs become more

interactive? Is there an expanding role of professionals and legacy

media? How can CitJ and new journalism advocates better

understand citizens and how to serve them?