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Did this presentation in Vienna for the World Association of Newspapers.
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Building Community Around Journalism
Building Community Around JournalismJim BradyEditor-in-Chief, Journal Register CompanyOctober 13, 2011
Jim BradyEditor-in-Chief, Journal Register CompanyOctober 13, 2011
Community EngagementCommunity Engagement
How most news orgs view “engagement.”
Community EngagementCommunity Engagement
How news orgs should view engagement.
Why Engage?
Why Engage?
• Because news organizations always have…– Used experts as sources– Interviewed citizens for stories– Accepted tips from the community– Run photos & videos not taken by staffers– Run freelance pieces by citizens & experts
Why Engage?
Why Engage?
• In the new media ecosystem, you need readers a lot more than they need you– Collectively, the community knows a lot more
about each subject area than you do– Consumers have a lot of choices & not a lot
of time– They don’t need to come directly to you to
access your content– Without committed readers, you have no
business
Why Engage?
Why Engage?
• Because working with consumers produces better journalism– More sources of information– An ability to cover more beats– An ability to cover more physical real
estate– An ability to directly tap experts in the
areas you cover
Shallow Engagement
Shallow Engagement
COMMENTS ON ARTICLES• Almost always a one-
way conversation.• Rarely involves the
community in the creation of actual journalism.
• The tone of discussions actually keeps many readers from engaging.
Shallow Engagement
Shallow Engagement
USER PHOTO CONTESTS• Totally separate from
any kind of actual journalism.
• Usually just a cheap ploy for page views.
• Allows editors to claim engagement efforts without really doing it.
Shallow Engagement
Shallow Engagement
SHARING TOOLS• Allows community to
recirculate your journalism, but there’s no direct engagement.
• Doesn’t create any kind of loyalty or deeper relationship.
What Is Deep Engagement?
What Is Deep Engagement?
• Any direct interaction with a member of the community that deepens their relationship with your organization. That includes…– Spending real, physical time with the community– Training the community in ways it can help you– Using information gathered by the community in your
core journalism– Accepting breaking news contributions from the
community– Curating the work of community members– Using the community as a journalistic tool of scale– Understanding that the collective community is a
powerful journalistic force
First Rule of Engagement
First Rule of Engagement
Engaging meaningfully with your community
means giving up control.
First Rule of Engagement
First Rule of Engagement
Engaging meaningfully with your community
means giving up control.
You HAVE to accept that.
First Rule of Engagement
First Rule of Engagement
Engaging meaningfully with your community
means giving up control. You HAVE to accept that.If you don’t, don’t bother.
Register Citizen Newsroom Cafe
Register Citizen Newsroom Cafe
• Audience invited to sit in on newsroom meeting, watch a live stream or participate in a live chat
• Free public wi-fi access offered, as well as coffee and snacks
Community Media Labs
Community Media Labs
• Among our papers, we’re now working with 1,024 local blogs.
SeeClickFix
SeeClickFix
• In more than 25,000 cities and 8,000 neighborhoods• Has gathered more than 50,000 reports• SeeClickFix has relationships with local governments
TBD: Complete This Story
TBD: Complete This Story
• The audience can help you find out things you couldn’t• It’s a tacit admission media companies can’t – and don’t
– know everything
TBD’s Community Network
TBD’s Community Network
• More than 225 sites joined
• We sold advertising for about 75 blogs
• We linked to them aggressively, and put them in our geo-coded feeds to expose them to relevant audiences
• Provided training sessions for network members on blogging, SEO, social media, etc.
• We held public office hours to meet with readers.
Ushahidi: Japan Earthquake
Ushahidi: Japan Earthquake
Guardian: MP Expense Scandal
Guardian: MP Expense Scandal
Public Reporting Network
Public Reporting Network
• 5,000 Reporting Network members• They’ve helped conducted spot checks on federal stimulus
spending, unraveled loan modification stories, and tracked the oversight of a state nursing board, among other efforts
NPR Social InvestigationNPR Social Investigation
If You Do This Right…
If You Do This Right…
• If you apply these strategies successfully:– The community will view you as a partner, not a
rival. That means:• They will send you tips, not your competitors• They will visit your site more often• They will link to you more from blogs & social
media• They will tell their friends about you• In short, they will root for your success• You will be more relevant to your audience
• More relevance =
If You Do This Right…
If You Do This Right…
• If you apply these strategies successfully:– The community will view you as a partner, not a
rival. That means:• They will send you tips, not your competitors• They will visit your site more often• They will link to you more from blogs & social
media• They will tell their friends about you• In short, they will root for your success• You will be more relevant to your audience
• More relevance = more audience =
If You Do This Right…
If You Do This Right…
• If you apply these strategies successfully:– The community will view you as a partner, not a
rival. That means:• They will send you tips, not your competitors• They will visit your site more often• They will link to you more from blogs & social
media• They will tell their friends about you• In short, they will root for your success• You will be more relevant to your audience
• More relevance = more audience = more revenue
If You Do This Right…
If You Do This Right…
• If you apply these strategies successfully:– The community will view you as a partner, not a
rival. That means:• They will send you tips, not your competitors• They will visit your site more often• They will link to you more from blogs & social
media• They will tell their friends about you• In short, they will root for your success• You will be more relevant to your audience
• More relevance = more audience = more revenue = more journalists
If You Do This Right…
If You Do This Right…
• If you apply these strategies successfully:– The community will view you as a partner, not a
rival. That means:• They will send you tips, not your competitors• They will visit your site more often• They will link to you more from blogs & social
media• They will tell their friends about you• In short, they will root for your success• You will be more relevant to your audience
• More relevance = more audience = more revenue = more journalists = better journalism
Thanks for EngagingThanks for Engaging
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