kermanj_an analysis of community news websites

8/3/2019 KermanJ_an Analysis of Community News Websites

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ANANALYSISOFCOMMUNITYNEWSWEBSITES:

ACOMPARISONOFLOCALNEWSWEBSITES

TOINDICATEINDUSTRYTRENDS

ACREATIVEPROJECT

SUBMITTEDTOTHEGRADUATESCHOOL

INPARTIALFULFILLMENTOFTHEREQUIREMENTS

FORTHEDEGREE

MASTEROFARTS

BY

JESSICAF.KERMAN

SUSANJ.SMITH

BALLSTATEUNIVERSITY

MUNCIE,INDIANA

MAY2010


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Acknowledgements

Manythankstomythesiscommittee:SusanJ.Smith,Chair,whohelpedmeto

focusmyresearchandfindwaystoanalyzethesubjectmatter;MarySpillman,who

gavemeguidanceinstorytellingandnarrative,aswellasassistedmetomakethis

paperorganized;andDr.JoeMisiewicz,whosupportedmethroughthisprocessand

pushedmetofinishdespiteseveralroadblocks.

ThanksarealsoduetotheentireDigitalStorytellinggraduatefacultyandstaff

fortheirsupport,particularlyDr.JamesChesebroforreadingthroughtheentiretyof

thispaperseveraltimesdespitenotbeingonmycommittee;NancyCarlson,who

guidedmethroughdocumentarymaking;andAdministrativeAssistantKrisScott.

Ialsomustthankthemanypeoplewhohelpedmetomakethedocumentary

portionofthisprojectAlhur:TheFreeOnes.ThefilmandWebsitewouldnothave

gottendonewithoutthehelpofPhotographerPeterGaunt,WebDesignerRiley

Paulsen,ProductionAssistantAngelitaFaller,andofcoursethepeoplewhostarin

thedocumentaryAlfanAbdulahad,SuhellDawood,SarmedTomaandSamer

Toma.Thankyouforallowingustoinvadeyourprivacyanddocumentyourlivesfor

somanymonths.Finally,thankstoCharlieWiles,whointroducedmetotheAlhur

family.

Finally,abigthankyoutothefriendsandfamilywhosupportedmethrough

someverystressfulandexcitingtimes.


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TableofContents

I. Part1:Introduction....................................... 3

II. Part2:LiteratureReview..................................8

III. Part3:Method.............................................18

IV. Part4:Results.............................................28

V. Part5:Discussion.........................................35a. Analysis...............................................35b. Limitations............................................ 36c. FurtherResearch...................................... 38d. Conclusion............................................ 39

VI. References................................................ 44

VII. Appendix:PagesandStoriesAnalyzed.....................48


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Part1:Introduction

Thepoweroftraditionalnewsisdeclining.Newspapersandlocaltelevision

newsstationshaveenteredableakperiodoftimeinwhichtheyarestrugglingfor

advertisingdollarsandtryingtoretainanaudiencethatismovingtotheInternet.

Inthepast,expertshavesuggestedthatnewermediacannotfullyreplace

older,establishedcommunicationsystems.Filmdidnotkilltheater.Televisiondid

notkillradio.Withnews,innovativethinkersfoundwaystoadaptnewstonew

media.Newsreelsturnedtonewscasts.Newspaperstoriesweresummarizedinto

30secondstoriesonthetelevision.TheInternethastheabilitytocombineallforms

ofmediaintooneplace.However,newswasnotforcedtoreallyadapttothe

Internet.Instead,somethingthatisprintedinthenewspapercaneasilybeposted

ontotheWeb.Andnow,morethanever,broadcastnewscandothesamething

postavideostoryontheWebandpastethescriptunderneath.Nothingnewis

neededorsopeoplethought.

Theproblemwiththismindsetisthattheaudiencewantedmore.While

journalistswerehappyjuststickingoldpiecesonanewmediumlikeusingused

scotchtapetomendaripothermediacompaniesstartedinnovatingandpushing

theboundariesoftheInternet.Usedscotchtapeisnotgoodenoughtopermanently

fixarip.Itmightworkforashortperiod,butaftersomeuse,thatripwillcontinueto


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tear.Inthesameway,othermediacompaniesembracedtheinteractivitythatthe

Internetwascapableof,andbydoingthatpigeonholednewsintoanoldmediathat

justdidntunderstandtheInternet.Untilveryrecently,thatswheremuchofthe

newshasstayed.Thenewsindustrytookamuchlongertimethanmostother

industriestoadapttotheInternet.ItisbecauseofthishesitationthatGoogleand

othernonnewscompanieshavepushedtheenvelopeofnewandemerging

technologyanditsusesandnewscompanieshavenot(ProjectforExcellencein

Journalism,2005).

However,theseold,establishednewsmediaarestilltrustedonline.While

peoplesaytheyaremoreskepticalofwhatthenewsmediasaysandreports(Pew,

2008),theyalsocontinuetotrusttheWebsitesownedbytraditionalmediamore

thanWebstartupssuchasTheDrudgeReport(Pew,2009).Thesereportsonly

measureanationalaudience;thus,onlynationalnewssites(suchasMSNBC,CNN,

TheWashingtonPostandTheNewYorkTimes)arereallyevaluated.Theselarge

companieshaveinvestedtimeandmoneyintotheirWebsitesinthepastfewyears.

TheyvedonefocusgroupsandusabilitytestingtoensurethattheirWebsitesare

userandadvertiserfriendly.TheyhavemoneytohireWebteamswhocancreate

Webonlycontentandinteractiveelementsthatsupplementstoriesonline.

Manycompaniesthatspecializeinlocalorcommunitynewsdonothavethe

financialresourcestodofocusgroupsandusability.Theydonothavethemoneyto

hireonlinespecificstaffordesignersfortheWeb.Thesenewsorganizationshave

lessmoneydevotedtotheWebsitethananyotherpartoftheoperation.Theyrely


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almostcompletelyontheirlegacynewsproducttoproducecontentandrevenue.A

legacynewsproductreferstoanewsmediacompanysoriginalproductsuchasa

newspaperorbroadcast.ThesecompaniesWebproductsarebasedontheirlegacy

productsbecausethepeoplewhoproducefortheWebarethesamepeoplewho

produceforthelegacyproduct.Thelegacyproductisalso,currently,thesourceof

mostrevenueforthecompany.Thepopularblog10,000Wordscited10reasons

whyonlinenewssitessuck.Thatlistincludedlongtextstories,multipagephoto

slideshows,lackoflinkstootherresources,andpoorWebdesigningeneral(Luckie,

2009).Inaddition,manyofthesesitesusetheWebasadumpinggroundforcontent

thatisalreadypublishedintheirtraditionalformats.

Localnewsoperationsarestrugglingmuchmorethanthebig,national

companies.InaMarch2009surveybyPew,onlyhalfofrespondentssaidthey

believedthatlosingtheirlocalnewspaperwouldhurtciviclifeintheircommunity

alot.Manyofthosewhosaytheclosingofthelocalpaperwouldn'tmakemuch,if

any,differenceintheircommunitiesnotethatthereareothernewssources

availableorcriticizethenewspaper'squality(Pew,2009).

ThisqualitycrisisforlocalnewshasalottodowiththeInternet.Theamount

ofpeoplewhorelyontheInternetfornewshasjumpedconsiderablyinthepast

fouryears(Pew,2009).Whilemorepeoplearegoingonlinetosearchfornews,

communitynewssiteshavenotchangedmuch.Manyofthesesitesareaesthetically

unmaintainedandhardtonavigate,makingadifficultuserexperience.Accordingto

JakobNielsen,inhisbookEyetrackingWebUsability(2009),onlyapersonwho


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reallyneedssomethingonaparticularsitewillgrinandbearitthroughan

unpleasantuserexperience.Also,formostofthesecommunitynewssites,the

contentisusedinthenewspaperorbroadcastalso,thusmakingthecontent

redundantbythetimetheuserseesitonline.Thiscouldcauseaudiencemembersto

gotoothersourcesfornewsabouttheircommunity.

LargermediainstitutionssuchasCNN.comorMSNBC.comhaveinvested

timeandmoneyintostayingcurrentwithonlinetrends.However,midsizedand

smallnewspapersandlocaltelevisionstations,whichcomprisemostofthe

traditionalnewssourcesinexistence,havebeenlessadamantaboutupdatingthe

lookandcapabilityoftheirsites.Todiminishthedeclineoflocalnews,localmedia

outletsshouldfocusmoreattentionontheaestheticsandcontentoftheirsitesand

theexpectationsoftheiraudienceonline.

Theselocalnewsorganizationsgenerallydonotusemultimediaor

interactiveelementssuchasvideoorFlashbasedpresentations,whichgarnerthe

uniquequalitiestheWebhas.Thisanalysisaimstoidentifyfactorsthatcontribute

totheeffectivenessoflocalnewsuseoftheWeb.

Tostartananalysislikethis,itisimportanttofirstlookatpriorresearchin

theareaofmediatedcommunicationtodefinewhyspecifictypesofstoriesarebest

toldwithspecificmedia.TheanalysisalsorequiresalookatresearchinWebdesign

andusability,asthesefactorsalsocontributetotheoverallexperienceauserofa

Websitehaswhenconsumingnewsonline.Part2willsurveysomeoftheresearch

doneinthisarea,aswellasshowtheneedforananalysissuchasthisone.Part3


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discussesandexplainsthemethodofthiscontentanalysis.Part4explainsthe

resultsoftheanalysisandappliesthemtocommunitynewsWebsitedevelopment.

Part5discussesthelimitationsofthestudy,theimplicationsforthecommunity

news,andtheneedforfutureresearch.


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Part2:LiteratureReviewandNeedforAnalysis

Mostmajornewsmediaorganizationshavebeenslowtoincorporatenew

technologyintotheirbusinessmodels.AsPavlik(2008)wroteinhisbookMediain

theDigitalAge,Likecautiouspenguins,mediaexecutivesmostcommonlypreferto

letotherstestthewatersfirstratherthanriskdivinginandbecomingaquickmeal

forakillerwhale.

Unlikemostindustries,newsorganizationsputonlyasmallportionoftheir

budgetsintoresearchanddevelopment.ItisforthisreasonthatGoogleandother

nonnewsmediacompanieshavepushedtheenvelopeofnewandemerging

technologyanditsuses(ProjectforExcellenceinJournalism,2005).Themediaand

technologiesusedtodisseminatenewsaffectthetypesofnewsthatanaudience

receives,aswellasthetypesofnewsthatanewscompanygenerates(Pavlik,2008).

Theimportanceandinfluenceofmassmediashouldnotbeunderestimated.

AccordingtoSnow(1983),massmediaareusedinfourways:First,asasourceof

informationabouttopicsthatarerelevanttothesenderandreceiver;second,mass

mediaprovideinformationaboutsocietyandculturetheappropriatewayto

behave,theproperperspective,generalcommonsenseandknowledge;third,mass

mediaisatrustedsourceforreliableandcredibleinformation;andfinally,there


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arevicariousandovertinteractionnetworkswithinthemediaindustryand

betweentheaudienceandthemedium.

Newsisdisseminatedthroughseveralformsofmassmedia.Newspapers,

magazines,film,television,radio,onlineandmobiledevices,arejustafewofthe

mediausedtospreadinformationandideas.Thisanalysisfocusesonnewspapers

andtheInternetspecifically;however,itdoesprovidesomecontextforotherareas

ofthenewsindustry.

Studyingthemeaningofcommunicationmedia,Berlo(1960)heldthatitwas

possibleforamediumofcommunicationtobeacausaldeterminantorfactorinthe

communicationprocess,andhespecificallyarguedthatthemediumisacarrierof

messages.Whenthesenderandreceiveruseamediumtomediatecommunication,

themediumwillactivelydeterminewhatisbeingcommunicatedandthe

effectivenessofthecommunication(Berlo,1960).Krugman(1971)alsonotedthat

themediumconveysitsownsenseofreality.Readingaprintproduct,suchasa

newspaper,ismoreinteractivethanwatchingatelevisionprogram.Thepassive

activitydoesnotrequireanyintrospectivethoughtprocess,andthuspeopledonot

necessarilylinkthecontentoftheprogramtotheirownlives(Krugman,1971).

Whentalkingaboutnewsandmediausedtodisseminatenews,thiscanbe

interpretedtomeanthatastoryinthenewspaperwillsendadifferentmessageand

adifferentsenseofrealitythanthesamestoryonthetelevision,radio,orthe

Internet(Snow,1983).Eachmediumseemstostimulatespecificsensesandideas

formostAmericanaudiencemembers.


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throughtraditionalmediaoutlets(Post,A.,Adams,J.,Cortese,J.,Heald,G,&DuBard,

J.,2009).

Levinson(1999)saidthatoneoftheattractionsofnewspapers,booksand

otherprintedproductsisthatthewordsarestationaryandstable.TheInternet

relievesproblemsofslowcommunication,gatekeepingandshutoutofalternative

ideas(Levinson,1999).ThefluidityoftheInternetalsoenableseasymanipulation

byusers,creatingbelievabilityproblemsfortheaudience.

Photographsinitiatethesameexperienceaswrittenstories.Theiconic

natureofthestillimageisamajorfactorinthesuccessofphotojournalism.Someof

themostmemorablemomentsofhistorycanbeidentifiedthoughnews

photographytheflagraisingatIwoJima,themushroomcloudoverHiroshima,

theprotesterinTiananmenSquare,andtheWorldTradeCentertowersstandingfor

thelasttime,tonameafew.

Helfand(2001)wrotethatthestillpicturecanprovokeandstimulatea

personbychallenginghisorherperceptionofauthenticity.Therelationship

betweenthehumanmemoryandthetenacityofimagescannotbeunderestimated.

Shealsonotedthatdespiteemphasisonmovingpicturesandfilm,theimages

peopletendtorememberarestill.Themovementtodigitalphotographyandthe

easeofitsmanipulationhasshiftedtherealitythatpeopleonceassociatedwith

photographs(Pavlik,2008).Thefilmicimagegivesanarbitraryrealitybecausethe

audiencehasaperversehabitofassumingthatthewaytheythinkyouare

communicatingisthewaythatyouintendedtocommunicate.Asfarastheyare


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concerned,themessagetheygetistheonlymessagethereistoperceive(Hampe,

2007).Reality,asBazin(1967)remarked,isfragmentedbycameraangles,framing,

pointsofview,andothercinematictechniquestocreateameaningthatmightnot

haveoriginallybeenthere.

Shelton(2004)listedseveraladvantagesanddisadvantagestousingvideo.

First,hewrote,videoisavisualmediumanditismultisensory,Thismultisensory

quality,withtherightmixofsightandsoundportendsmaximumopportunityfor

optimizingcommunicationsandengenderingempathyinouraudiences.However,

videohasthedisadvantageofforcingalinearstoryline.AsShelton(2004)explained,

videointraditionalformatsmustbeseenfromstarttofinishinthatorderfora

viewertoreallygainthemeaningofthenarrative.Theresnotimeforreflective

thought,forreviewofdifficultsequences,fordetailedscrutinyofcomplexvisuals,or

fordiscussion.Toomuchinformationislostandcannotberetrieved...Film/videos

linearityreducessignificantlyitsoveralleffectivenessinteachingcognitiveand

perceptualmotorskills.

Televisionprogramsattractandretainanaudiencebasedonstereotypes,

entertainment,dramaandidealnormsofthemiddleclassinAmerica(Snow,1983).

Thepersonalitiesandcharactersontelevisionthatpeoplearemostcomfortable

witharethepeoplewhoaremiddleoftheroad,withthesamevaluesandmorals

thatthemiddleclassshares(Snow,1983).Televisionentertainmentusesdramato

drawtheaudienceandcaptureitsattention.Snow(1983)remarkedthatthisdrama

factoralsoseepsintonewsprogramming:


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Networknewsisdramaticinseveralrespects.First,theanchorperson

projectsaseriousandauthoritativedemeanorthatapparentlyonlymiddle

agedpeoplecancarryoffsuccessfully.Credibilityisalsodramatically

emphasizedbystagingthenewscastinsidethenewsroom.Backgroundmusic

enhancestheseriousatmosphere,therhythmandtempospeecharematter

offact,storylengthisshort,andalmosteverynewseventhasfilmand

graphicstoemphasizevisuallythedrama.Todaythereislittledifference

betweenanetworknewscastandtheentertainmentformatusedintheater

bothemploydramaticstagingtechniquestoframetheirsubjectmatter.By

contrast,localnewscastsintheseventiesusedacomedyframeworkcalled

happytalk.Newscastersbanteredbackandforthwithshortquips,there

alwaysseemedtobearemoteminicamreportwithsomeeccentriccharacter,

whetherforecastersdressedinclownsuits,andthenewscastalwaysended

withahumorousbitofirony.Sometimesitseemedtheonlystraight

reportingoccurredonthesportssegment.

Televisionreportersareseenastheideal.Theyaretruthseekerswhowill

stopatnothingtofindoutthetruthandseekjusticefortheinnocent.Localnews

broadcastsoffertoassistpeopleinthecommunitywhofeeltheyhavefallenvictim

toawrongdoing.Thereporterson60Minutesarebestknownfortheirexpossof

corruptpoliticiansandbusinesspeople.However,Snow(1983)warnedthat

televisionnews,becauseofitsdramaandintensity,canleadtowhathecallsan

unquestionedtrust.Anchorsappeartobeexpertsonthesubjectstheyreport

becauseofthisauthoritativerequirementfortelevision.However,televisionnews


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peoplearenotinitiallyhiredbasedontheirexpertiseinjournalism.Theyarehired

fortheirabilitytowriteshort,dramaticstoriesthatcancapturetheattentionofthe

massaudience.(Thisisnottosaythatsuccessfultelevisionnewsanchorsand

reportersarenothighqualityjournalists.Quitetheoppositeistrueinmanycases.)

MorepeoplearereachingtotheInternettofindnewsandinformation(Pew,

2009).WhatistrulysignificantabouttheInternetisitsabilitytoallowimmediate

twowaycommunication,likethetelephone.Unlikemanypreviousmedia,the

Internetallowsuserstobrowse,review,scan,fastforward,etc.,attheirownpace.

Thisprovidestheplatformforthepossibilityoftrulynonlinearstorytelling

(Shelton,2004).SheltonwrotethattheinteractivityassociatedwiththeInternet

providestheuserwithamessageofcontrolbecauseitcanbeselfpaced,allowing

moretimeforcomprehension.TheInternet,Sheltonsaid,givesamultisensory

experience,whichagainengendersempathyandoptimizescommunication.

However,unlikeotherformsoftwowaycommunication,theInternetallowsa

messagetobesentandreceivedbyamassaudience,thusmakingitaunique

medium.

Newscastsondemandhavechangedthewaytelevisionnewsis

disseminated.Anewsconsumercanwatchstoriesfromthemorningnewscast

duringlunch.TheuseofstreamingvideoontheInternetandWorldWideWebhas

enabledanewkindofnewsconsumerwhoseeksinformationonhistime,notonthe

setscheduleofthetelevisionstation.


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Aswithvideoondemand,theInternethasalsochangedthewaynewsis

disseminated.ThefirstnewspapertostartpublishingonlinewastheColumbus

DispatchinJuly1980(Shedden,2010).By1982,TheWashingtonPost,TheNew

YorkTimes,TheSanFranciscoChronicle,andeightotherAssociatedPress

newspapershadpartneredwithCompuServetoprovidenewsonlineviaVideoTex

(Shedden,2010).Broadcaststationsalsostartedpostingtextstoriesonlineatthis

time.Itwasntuntil1991,whenAppledevelopedQuickTime,thatvideocouldbe

postedonline(Lawton,2000).QuickTimeallowedusersonlinetopostvideo;

however,usershadtodownloadthevideotoviewit.Onlyinrecentyearshasvideo

becomepopularontheWeb.Thistrendcanbeattributedtostreamingcapabilities

andshorterdownloadtimescausedbyafasterconnectiontotheWeb.

Levinson(1999),playingoffofMcLuhansdescriptionsoftheelectronicage,

saidtheInternet,becauseofitsmassiveappeal,providespeoplewithamorerich

experience.HeproposedthattheInternet,becauseofthisrichness,canprovidea

fullerandmoreaccurateunderstandingofreality.Aswithwrittenstoriesand

photographs,anythingontheInternetcanbeperceivedasphonyormanipulated,

leadingtoanissueoftrustworthinessandbelievabilityforonlinenews.

Ifwecometoknowsomeoneonline,evenseephotographsorlivevideo

imagesofhisorherface,westilldonotknowwithcertaintyvariousaspects

ofthatpersonwhichwecouldperceiveinaninstantinaninperson

encounter:thephotoorevenvideoimage,forexamplecouldbephony.

(Levinson,1999)


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Thereasonfortheperceiveddisconnectbetweenthenewspaperstory

printedonpaperandthesamestoryontheInternetisthatanyonecanpublish

whatevertheydlikeaboutwhatevertheywantonline,nomattertheirexpertise,

education,culture,gender,age,orethnicity.TheInternet,inthisway,canbeusedas

arepresentationofdemocratization.Theonlineformatalsoenablesanonymity,

whichinturn,providespeoplewithfreedom.Italsogivesthemtheopportunityto

lie,distort,andleadpeopleinadirectionthatcouldbeconsideredwrong.

TheInternethaschangedthebusinessmodelsofallnewscompanies.While

atonetimetraditionalmediareliedcompletelyonadvertisingrevenuefortheir

legacyproducts,nowcompaniesareworkingtofindwaystomaketheirWebsites

moreprofitablewithseveraladvertisingstrategies.Theonceloyalaudience

memberswhowouldreadthenewspapereverydayathomearenowreadingit

onlineforfreeatworkandtheyarecheckingoftenfornewinformation.Thenews

company,inturn,shouldbeworkinghardertoprovidenewsfastertoaccommodate

thisnewbreedofnewsconsumer.Onlinenewshascreatedanenvironmentin

whichspeedandcurrencyoftentakeprecedenceoveraccuracy,factchecking,and

multiplesourcing(Pavlik,2008).

Interestinnewsishigherthaneveraccordingtothe2007Poynter

Eyetrackingstudy(Quinn,Stark,&Edmonds,2007).Previousresearchprovidesa

baseofinformationaboutthenewsmediaandhowtheInternethaschangedthe

news.However,verylittleresearchhasbeendoneconcerningcommunitynews


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online.ThisstudyaimstofillthatvoidbyanalyzingtwolocalnewsWebsitesforsite

designandcontentonline.

Thereisnohandbook,notest,forwhichpeopleinthenewsmediacanuseto

createaneffectivecommunicativeexperienceontheirWebsites.Withintherealm

ofnews,theproblemofmisuseofmediacreatesconfusionandfrustrationfora

sophisticatedonlineaudience.Theaudienceformanyofthesenewssitesisfilled

withpeoplewhoregularlysurftheInternet.Theyknowwhattolookfortoidentify

professionalismandreliability,andthuscredibility,withinaWebsite.Thesenews

siteslacktheaestheticsandmediausagetoconstitutecredibilityuponinitial

contact.Thisanalysisprovidesastartingpointforthesesiteoperators.


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Part3:Method

AccordingtoNielsen(2000),usabilityisthemeasurethatdetermines

whetherasitegetscustomersornot.Webusersexhibitaremarkableimpatience

andinsistenceoninstantgratificationIftheycantfigureouthowtouseawebsitein

aminuteorso,theyconcludethatitwontbeworththeirtime.Andtheyleave.This

analysisusesusabilitystudiesformuchofthebasisoftheresearch.

ThisstudyanalyzesWebsitesownedbytwonewspaperorientedcompanies

becausenewspapershavebeendisseminatinginformationontheWeblongerthan

othertraditionalnewscompaniessuchasthoseintelevisionandradio(Sheddon,

2010).Previousresearchhasshownthattraditionalcommunitynewscompanies

primaryfocusistheirlegacyproduct.TheWebsitesownedbythesecompanies

sufferbecausetheWebcomessecond.Thesecompanieshirereporterswhowritea

storyforthenewspaper.Thatstoryisthenpublishedonline,unchanged.Inmany

cases,thereasonforthisisalackoftime,staffandfinancialresources.Companies

whoseprimaryproductistheWebsitedeliveraproductthatismoreimmediate,

engagingandinformativetotheironlineaudience.

Toshowthistendency,twolocalnewsWebsiteswereselectedforanalysis

overthreerandomdaysduringatendayperiod.Thisstudyemployscontent


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analysistoanalyzeandinterpretcorrelationsbetweenthetwosites.Accordingto

Krippendorff(2004),Contentanalysisisaresearchtechniqueformakingreplicable

andvalidinferencesfromtexts(orothermeaningfulmatter)tothecontextsoftheir

use.Thisresearchtechniquegivestheresearcheranobjective,systematic,and

replicablemethodtoanalyzetextsandothermeaningfulmattersuchasart,

images,maps,andsigns(Krippendorff).

Thecontentanalysismethodisbestforthisstudybecauseitisusedto

describetrendsincommunicationcontent,tocomparemedia,andtoconstruct

communicationstandards(Krippendorff,2004).Thepurposeofthisstudyisto

describepossibletrendsincommunitynewsWebsiteaestheticsandcontent,to

comparetwocommunitynewsWebsites,andtoconstructstandardsbasedonthe

patternsandtrendsutilizedbythetwocompanies.

Thefirstofthetwosites(www.TheHeraldBulletin.com)isthatofasmall

newspaperlocatedinacityof56,000peopleinIndiana.The20,000circulation

newspaperisownedbyasmallmediaconglomerate.TheWebsiteusesthesame

templateas75percentofthe130newsWebsitesthecompanyownsthroughout

theUnitedStates,thusmakingitagoodrepresentativeofthesitesownedbythe

company.

ThesecondWebsiteanalyzedinthisstudy(www.annarbor.com)isthe

sourceoflocalnewsforacityofabout114,000people.Thesitereplacedthedaily

newspaperthatwasoncetheonlysourcefordailynewsinthecity.Accordingto

newspaperarticlesabouttheclosingofthenewspaper,TheAnnArborNewshada


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dailycirculationofabout48,500.TheAnnArborWebsitewasdesignedbyAdvance

Publicationstorepresentthefutureofonlinenewspapers.Thesitereplacedthe

120yearoldnewspaperasthesoledailynewsproviderinthecity.Accordingtothe

publisherLaurelChampion,thenewspaperclosedbecauseofrevenueloss,saying

thebusinessmodelwasnotsustainable(Knight,2009).TheclosingofTheAnn

ArborNewswasthefirsttimeacityasbigasAnnArborwouldgowithoutadaily

newspaper.Othernewspapersthroughoutthecountryhavestartedprintingfewer

daysaweekorhavegoneonlineonlybecauseofthechangingmediaenvironment

intheUnitedStatesaswellasthecountryseconomicwoes.

Outofthemorethan1,400newspapersinexistenceintheUnitedStates,

90%areconsideredmidsizedorsmall(ProjectforExcellenceinJournalism,2009).

Researchershavedifferingviewsastowhatconstituteslarge,midsized,andsmall;

howeverallmeasurementsarebasedoncirculation.TheAssociatedPressManaging

Editors,whenawardingnewspapersforaccomplishments,dividesnewspapersinto

threecategories:smallnewspapersarethosewithacirculationofupto39,000;

midsizednewspapersarethosewithadailycirculationbetween40,000and

149,999;andlargenewspapersarethosewithacirculationofmorethan150,000

(APME).Basedontheseclassifications,thesiteforTheHeraldBulletinwould

representthatofasmallnewspapercompanyandthesiteforAnnArbor.comwould

representamediumsizednewspapercompany.

Bothsiteswereviewedinthemidstofmorningpeaktraffichours.According

totheonlinemanagerofTheHeraldBulletin.com,peakmorninghoursforeachsiteis


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from8a.m.to9a.m.everyweekday(J.Schneider,personalcommunication,

February,23,2010).Schneidersaidthenewssitehitsanotherpeakaroundnoon.At

AnnArbor.com,thepeaktraffichoursarefrom8a.m.tonooneveryweekday(A.

Nash,personalcommunication,February23,2010).Thedayswerechosen

randomlyfromatwoweekperiod.Daysanalyzedwereweekdays,astoshowthe

siteduringhightrafficdays.Generally,newsWebsiteshavesimilartrafficpatterns

onweekdays,butthetrafficdropsdramaticallyontheweekends.Also,both

companieshavesmallerstaffsontheweekends,whichcanaffecthowmuchnewsis

postedonlineduringthosedays.

Forthethreedays,thesiteswereviewedbetween11a.m.andnoon.By

analyzingthesitesatthistime,onesitewasviewedinthemidstofitshightraffic

timeandthesecondsitewasviewedimmediatelyafterthepeaktimes.Viewing

thematthesametimeensuredthestudywouldbeconsistent.Specifically,ifamajor

newseventhadhappenedduringthestudyperiod,analyzingbothsitesatthesame

timewouldkeepresultscomparable.Bothsiteshaveautomatictimestampson

storiestoindicatewhentheyarepublishedonline.Eachsitestoptenstorieswere

analyzedduringthesetimes.Thetoptenstoriesweredeterminedbytheir

proximitytothepriorityspotsonthepage.Onlythestoriesonthemainpagewere

analyzedbecausethemainpageisaconglomerationofthestoriesfromtheother

pagesonthesite.Also,themainpageislikelytochangemoreoften.

Thiscontentanalysiscomparesthetwositesbasedongeneral,contentand

usabilitystandardsoutlinedinpreviousresearch.Throughthedecades,peoplehave


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createdstandardstheyusetodeterminewhetheranewspaperoratraditional

broadcastnewscastisreliableandcredible.Individualswillevaluatenewssources

differentlybasedondemographic,socialandpsychologicalfactors(Alexander&

Tate,1999).However,AlexanderandTatelistfivespecificstandardsessentialto

theevaluationprocesswhetherfortraditionalmediaorforonlinemedia.These

are

Authority:theextentofexpertisetheauthorororganizationhasoverthetopicathand.

Accuracy:theextentofqualityoftruthandprecisenesswithinthecontextoftheWebsite,aswellasthefreedomoferrorwithinthe

copyonthesite.

Objectivity:therepresentationoffactsinanindependent,fairandaccuratemanner,withoutmuchopinionorotherbiases.

Currency:theidentificationthattheinformationonthesiteiscurrentanduptodate.

Coverage:thedepthofreportingabouttheparticulartopiconthesite.Innews,thesepointscouldincludeelementssuchastheinclusionofthe

nameoftheauthorandorganizationresponsibleforthecontentontheWebpage;

thedateandtimethepagewaslastupdated;clearlylabeledopinionwriting;

frequentupdates;andanindicationthateditorsorfactcheckershavereviewedthe

informationprovided(Alexander&Tate,1999).WhileAlexanderandTateprovidea

startingpointforevaluation,theydonotgoindepthwiththeiranalysisof


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evaluatingnewscontentontheWeb.Oneofthereasonsforthiscouldbebecause

theWebwasstillarelativelynewconcepttomostofthepublicin1999.

SuccessfulWebsitesareeasytouse,followingbasicusabilitystandards.

NielsenandPernice(2009)identifiedpriorityspotsonWebpages,wherethemost

importantinformationfortheusershouldbelocated.Thehighestpriorityspotsare

generallyintheuppercontentarea,belowtheglobalnavigation.ThisiswhereWeb

usersgenerallylookforinformationfirst.

ContentisasimportantasusabilitywhenitcomestoWebsites.Contentthat

isconsistentlyhardtounderstandorinaccuratewilldriveusersawayfromthesite.

Pavlik(2008)outlinesfourformsofcontentfordigitalmedia:

1. Repurposedcontentusingatraditionalmediadesignormodel.Thecontentisproducedforthetraditionaldeliverysystem,butinsteadis

deliveredviatheInternetorotherdigitaldeliverysystemsuchas

mobiledevices.Thismightincludeanewsarticlethatistaken

directlyfromthenewspaperandnotchangedatallfortheWebsite.

2. Repurposedcontentfeaturingadesignuniquetodigitalmediaoronlineenvironment.Thismightincludeanewspaperarticle

unchangedfortheWeb,butithashyperlinksinit.

3. Originalcontentbasedontraditionalmediadesignormodel.Thiswouldincludeanonlineonlystoryforanewspaperornews

broadcastthatiswrittenasifitweregoingtobeprintedor

broadcast.


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4. Originalcontentfeaturingadesignuniquetoadigitalmediaoronlineenvironment.Thiskindofcontentwouldincludeblogs,

interactivecontent,orvideowithhotspots(i.e.embeddedlinksor

othermediaobjectssuchashighresolutionimages).

ThefourthformofcontentiswhatPavliksaysrepresentsthefutureof

media.Mediaorganizationsareincreasinglyaddingthistypeofcontentontotheir

Websitestoengagethenextgenerationofmediauser.Moreover,appetitesfora

moreinteractiveandcustomizablejournalismareemerginginwhichtraditional

newsmediafaceasomewhatdubiousfuture,withaudiencesfortraditionalnews

mediaformsdwindling(Pavlik,2008).

Todaysnewsreadersseekdirectcontactbetweenthemselvesandthe

journalistswhoreportthenews.Fromcommentingonstoriesonlinetoaddingto

storiesonwikisandblogs,theideaofinteractionbetweentheconsumerandthe

producerhasbecomeanormformanynewsorganizations.Byengagingsources

andaudiencesinadailydialog,whetheronlineoroff,(newsorganizations)can

improvethequalityoftheirreportingandreestablishthemselvesascentraltothe

democraticprocessintheUnitedStatesandaroundtheworld(Pavlik,2008).

AccordingtoNielsenandPernice(2009),imagesonlinecapturepeoples

attentionwhentheyarehighcontrastandhighquality;croppedratherthanscaled

tofitasmallspace;easytointerpret,notexcessivelydetailed;andrelatedtothe

contentofthepage.Conversely,peopleignoreimagesonlinethatarelowcontrast

andlowquality;toobusyforthespace;looklikeadvertisements;boring;and


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unrelatedtothecontentonthepage.TheNielsenandPerniceeyetrackingstudy

foundthatpeoplearemorelikelytolookatanimagethatrelatestothecontenton

thepagethanagenericoneoronethataddslittlevaluetothepage.Whenreadinga

CNNarticleaboutsmugglerswhoforcedSomalirefugeesfromtheirboatsinto

sharkinfestedwaters,peoplelookedattheimageoftheboatsthataccompaniedthe

article.Somelookedattheboatsafewtimes(Nielsen&Pernice,2009).

AccordingtoNielsenandPernice(2009),peoplelookforspecificdesign

standardsontheWebsuchasalogointheupperleftcornerofallpages,a

navigationalmenuacrossthetoporalongtheleft,aHomebuttoninornearthe

menuonthefarleft,andanopensearchfieldontheupperrightofthepage.Web

pagesthatareclutteredordifficultdesignsmakepeoplelesslikelytofindwhat

theywant.Onlyapersonwhoreallyneedssomethingonaparticularsitewillgrin

andbearitthroughanunpleasantuserexperience(Nielsen&Pernice,2009).

NielsenandPernice(2009)alsoreportthatsomecontentcreatedforanother

medium,suchastelevision,isnotgreattoexperienceontheWeb.Theexample

NielsenusesisavideoofapersontalkingaboutHurricaneKatrinarescueeffortson

CNN.com.AuseroftheCNNsitelookedatthedoctortalking,butthenhiseye

traveledtootherpartsofthepagewhilehestilllistenedtothevideo.Generally,

peoplebecomeboredwithtalkingheadvideosbutwillcontinuelisteningtothe

videoiftheyareinterestedinthetopic(Nielsen&Pernice,2009).

Avideo,suchasthetrailerfortheHarryPottermovieTheGobletofFire,

translateswelltotheWebbecausethequalityishighandthesubjectsappear


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mostlyinthemiddleandthecontentisfastmovingandexciting(Nielsen&Pernice,

2009).Ifpeoplechoosethevideocontenttowatch,suchasatelevisionshowor

wellproducedmovietrailer,theywillwatchtheentiretyoftheproduction.

Instructionalanimationsalsoreceiveagreatdealofattention,accordingtothe

eyetrackingstudy.

AmajoradvantagetheInternethasoveratraditionalnewspaperis

immediacy.Journalistscanprovideinformationandnewsinatimelymanner,

updatingstoriesastheyhappenratherthanwaitinguntilthenextpresstime

(Gunter,2003).WebsitedesignersandonlinemarketersagreethatupdatingaWeb

sitefrequentlyisnecessarytomaintainarelevantsitetousers.Freshcontenthelps

WebpagesrankhighonsearchenginessuchasGoogleandYahoo.Newcontentalso

showsanaudiencethatthesiteiscurrentandworthreturningto.Ifasiteoperator

wantsuserstoreturndaily,thenhemustupdatethesitedaily.Ifusersshould

returnmorethanonceaday,thenthesiteshouldbeupdatedmorethanonceaday

(Websource,2009).

AccordingtoPew(2009),manypeoplewouldnotcareiftheirlocal

newspaperweretoshutdowncompletely.However,thesamestudyshowedthat41

percentofthosesurveyedgottheirlocalnewsfromthenewspaper,andabout48

percentsaidtheygottheirlocalnewsfromthenewspaperanditsWebsite.Online

userscanfindnationalnewsatseveralothersitessuchasCNN.com,MSNBC.com,

andWSJ.com.Thelocalnewspaperandthelocalnewstelevisionstationare

sometimestheonlyplacewherepeoplecangetnewsaboutthecommunitytheylive


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in.OnlinethenewspapersWebsiteshouldservethesameneedsbyprovidinglocal

content.Accordingtoonesurveyfrom1999,usersofnewsWebsitesseeklocal

newsfromlocalnewsWebsites(Phipps,1999).Localnewswasvaluedmorethan

anyothertypeofcontentincludingweather,national,andtheclassified

advertisements.Fornewspaperswithacirculationoflessthan250,000,the

importanceoflocalnewsjumpedalmost30percent(Phipps,1999).

Basedonthisresearch,thisanalysiswillconsiderthefollowinghypotheses:

H1:NewsorganizationswhoseprimaryproductistheWebsitewillmore

oftenpostthemostimportantinformationinthepriorityspotsofthepage

thannewsorganizationswhoseWebsiteisnottheprimaryproduct.

H2:NewsorganizationswhoseprimaryproductistheWebsitewillprovidepicturesthatpertaintothespecificstorymoreoftenthannewsorganizations

whoseWebsiteisnottheprimaryproduct.

H3:NewsorganizationswhoseprimaryproductistheWebsitewillproduce

videosthatarefast-pacedandcapturetheattentionoftheusermoreoftenthannewsorganizationswhoseWebsiteisnottheprimaryproduct.

H4:NewsorganizationswhoseprimaryproductistheWebsitewillupdatetheirsitemorefrequentlyduringpeakhoursthananewsorganizationwhose

Websiteisnottheprimaryproduct.

H5:NewsorganizationswhoseprimaryproductistheWebsitewillproduce

morespecificallylocalcontentforthesitethannewsorganizationswhose

Websiteisnottheprimaryproduct.


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Part4:ResultsoftheAnalysis

R1:NewsorganizationswhoseprimaryproductistheWebsitemoreoften

postthemostimportantinformationinthepriorityspotsofthepagethannewsorganizationswhoseWebsiteisnottheprimaryproduct.

Afterreviewingthemainpageandthetoptenstories(basedonplacement

onthepage)ofbothsites,resultsshowthatbothnewsorganizationsplacedthe

sametypesofinformationinthepriorityspotsonthepage.Asnotedearlier,the

priorityspotonthepageisintheuppercontentarea,belowtheglobalnavigation

(Nielsen&Pernice,2009).Eachday,thenewswasshowcasedinthisspotonthe

page.Partofthiscanbeattributedtoconsistentdesign.

Generally,anewsroombasesitsnewshierarchyonseveralnews

characteristicssuchastimeliness,proximity,conflict,prominence,effectand

novelty.Thesecharacteristicsareusedtodecidewhatstoriesarenewsworthyand

wherethestorieswillbeplacedinthenewspaperorinthebroadcast.Basedon

priorworkexperiencewithTheHeraldBulletinandAnnArbor.com1,both

organizationsusesimilarsystemstodecidewhatisatopnewsstorybothinthe

printversionandtheonlineversion.

Online,bothsitesusedtimebasedsystemstopresentthenews,thusthe

generalnewshierarchywasdisplaced.However,AnnArbor.comdidplacesome

1IworkedatTheHeraldBulletinasastaffreporterfromMay2007toAugust2008.Iworkedat

AnnArbor.comasaninternduringJulyandAugust2009.TheworkexperienceIvehadwithboth

organizationswasafactorinthechoicetousetheseorganizationsascasestudiesforthisanalysis.


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emphasisonthestoriesthatthepeopleinthenewsroomthoughtweremost

newsworthy.Thesestorieswerepositionedatthetopofthepriorityspot.Whilethe

topnewsforTheHeraldBulletinwascompletelytimebased,themostimportant

newsforAnnArbor.comwasdividedfromtherestinaTopNewssectionatthetop

ofthepage,thenunderthatwasasectioncalledTodayinAnnArborthatfeatured

atimebasedsystemofsortingstories.Bydoingthis,thestaffatAnnArbor.comis

implementingsomeofitsjournalistictrainingandexpertisebyhelpingusersdecide

whatstoriestheyshouldreadbasedonnewsvaluesandcharacteristics.

Partofajournalistsjobistorelayinformationthatcontainscontextaround

aparticulareventortrendsothestorypertainstotheaverageaudiencemembers

life.Listsoffuneralsoreventsdonotperformthisaction.Theselistswhiletheydo

providetimelyinformationdonotcontaincontextorotherjournalistic

characteristics.Thetimebasedsystemmoveditemssuchaslistsofeventsand

funeralsforeachdayintothetoptenlistings.Whiletheselistsdoexhibitsomeof

thenewsvalues,theyarenotwhatmanyconsidertobenewsbyastandard

definition.

Table1

TypesofItemsPostedDuringPeakHours

Sites NewsArticle Other Total

Site1(THB) Day1 7 3 10

Day2 8 2 10

Day3 8 2 10

Total 23(76.7%) 7(23.3%) 30(100%)

Site2(AA)

Day1 8 2 10

Day2 9 1 10


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Day3 9 1 10

Total 26(86.7%) 4(13.3%) 30(100%)

THB=TheHeraldBulletin.com,AA=AnnArbor.com

Bothsitesfeaturedarticlesthatwerejustlistsofeventsorsomethingsimilar

(arrests,births,etc.).Thesetypesofitemscomprisedabout23%(7)ofthe30

storiesanalyzedonTheHeraldBulletin.comduringthestudyperiod;theycomprised

about13%(4)ofthe30storiesanalyzedonAnnArbor.comduringthesameperiod.

Basedonthisinformation,theresultsshowthatwhilebothsitesusesimilar

systemstosortnewsonline,thenewsorganizationwhoseprimaryproductisthe

Websitedoespresentthemostimportantinformationinthesenseofnews

valuesandcharacteristicsinthepriorityspotsonthepagemoreoftenthanthe

siteofanorganizationwhoseprimaryproductisthenewspaper.Notonlydoes

AnnArbor.comusesomehierarchyfornewsworthinessonitssite,butitalsouses

moreofitspriorityspotsonthepagefornewsratherthaninformationalitems.

R2:NewsorganizationswhoseprimaryproductistheWebsiteprovide

picturesthatpertaintothespecificstorymoreoftenthannewsorganizationswhoseWebsiteisnottheprimaryproduct.

Accordingtoresearch,imagesthatappearonsitesshouldbedirectlyrelated

totheideasthatapageistryingtoconvey(Nielsen&Pernice,2009).Accordingto

thestudybyNielsenandPernice,peoplelookatimagesonlinethatareunrelatedor

somewhatrelatedtothepageonly14percentofthetime.However,imagesthat

wererelatedtothecontentwerelookedat29percentofthetime(Nielsen&

Pernice,2009).Innews,visualjournalists(i.e.designers)trytousephoto

illustrationsorotherrepresentativegraphicwhentheydonothaveaphotograph


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thatpertainsdirectlytothestory.However,asthisresearchindicates,those

illustrationsarerarelyapointofinterestforusers.

Table2

TypesofVisualElementsthatAccompanyNewsItemsOnline

Sites Pictures Illustrations None Total

Site1(THB)

Day1 5 0 5 10

Day2 2 0 8 10Day3 3 0 7 10

Total 10(33.3%) 0(0.0%) 20(66.7%) 30(100%)

Site2(AA)

Day1 8 1 1 10

Day2 9 0 1 10Day3 7 2 1 10Total 24(80%) 3(10%) 3(10%) 30(100%)


Thisstudylookedathowoftenthetwonewsorganizationsstudiedused

photographsthatpertaineddirectlytothespecificstoryonthepage.Thestudy

showedthatthehypothesiswasoverwhelminglycorrect.Mostofthetime(66%),

storiesonTheHeraldBulletin.comdidnothaveapicturewiththem,letalonea

picturethatpertaineddirectlytothespecificstory.Ontheotherhand,

AnnArbor.comhadpicturesthatdirectlypertainedtothestory80%(24)ofthe

time.Thesiteforthenewspaperdidnothaveanyillustrationsforstories,whilethe

sitethatistheprimaryproducthadthreecasesinwhichtheonlypicturewiththe

storywasrepresentativeoranillustration.

R3:NewsorganizationswhoseprimaryproductistheWebsiteproducevideos

thatarefast-pacedandcapturetheattentionoftheusermoreoftenthannews

organizationswhoseWebsiteisnottheprimaryproduct.


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VideoisrelativelynewtotheWeb.Untilrecently,aslowspeedtoaccessthe

Webwasalimitationtotheamountofvideothatcouldbeuploadedandviewed

online.However,inthepastcoupleofyears,broadbandhaspenetratedamuch

largergroupofWebusers,andvideohasbecomemoreimportantandprevalenton

theWeb.In2005,theserviceYouTubestarted.Onlyfiveyearslater,itholds

millionsofvideosthatareviewedbymillionsofpeopledaily.Newsorganizations,

especiallynewspapercompanies,haveonlyrecentlystartedaddingvideocontent

ontheirsites.

ThisstudyfoundthatTheHeraldBulletinveryrarelyusesvideowithits

storiesonline.ThelastvideouploadedtothesitesPhotos&Videossectionwas

threedaysbeforetheanalysisstarted.Thevideobeforethatwaspublishedalmost

threeweeksprior.Mostofthevideosaresportsrelated.Asitpertainstothisstudy,

therewerenoinstancesinwhichvideowasusedtoenhancethenewsstories

analyzedonTheHeraldBulletin.com.

Table3

Numberofvideosusedoneachsite

Sites Video NoVideo

Site1(THB) 0(0%) 30(100%)

Site2(AA) 5(17%) 25(83%)


ThejournalistsatAnnArbor.comusedvideomoreoftenthan

TheHeraldBulletin.comtoenhancetheirstoriesonline.However,outofthe30

storiesanalyzed,only5(17%)hadvideoswiththem.Noneofthevideosfeatured


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talkingheads,whichasnotedbefore,isgenerallyboringtoaudiencemembers

(Nielsen&Pernice,2009).

R4:NewsorganizationswhoseprimaryproductistheWebsiteandwhose

primaryproductisanothermediumupdatetheirsitesrightbeforepeakhourswithfreshcontent,butnotduringthepeakhoursasoften.

Asnotedpreviously,thepeakhoursforbothnewssitesarebetween8a.m.

andnoon.ThesiteforTheHeraldBulletinexperiencesapeakbetween8a.m.and9

a.m.andagainaroundlunchtime(J.Schneider,personalcommunication,February

23,2010),andthesameistrueforAnnArbor.com(A.Nash,personal

communication,February23,2010).Forthisanalysis,eachsitewasviewedonce

between11a.m.andnoonforthethreedays.Bothsitesuseanautomatically

generatedtimestamptoindicatewhattimeastoryispublishedonline.Usingthese

timestamps,theanalysisshowedthatbothsitespublishedmostofthecontentright

beforethepeakhoursatabout7:45a.m.orslightlyearlier,notduringthepeak

hoursaspreviouslyhypothesized.

Table4

FrequencyofUpdatesDuringPeakHours

Sites Peak NotPeak Total

Site1(THB)

Day1 3 7 10

Day2 1 9 10

Day3 3 7 10

Total 7(23.3%) 23(76.7%) 30(100%)Site2(AA)

Day1 5 5 10Day2 1 9 10

Day3 2 8 10

Total 8(26.7%) 22(73.3%) 30(100%)



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About27%(8)ofthestoriespostedonAnnArbor.comwereaddedduring

peakhours.About23%(7)ofthestoriesonTheHeraldBulletin.comwereadded

duringpeakhours.However,onbothsitesthemajorityofstorieswereadded

between5a.m.and7a.m.,whichallowstheWebsitestohavefreshcontentbefore

thepeakhoursstart.

R5:NewsorganizationswhoseprimaryproductistheWebsitepublishspecificallylocalcontentforthesiteslightlymoreoftenthannews

organizationswhoseWebsiteisnottheprimaryproduct.

Asindicatedpreviously,audiencemembersgotolocalnewsWebsites

becausethesitesareoftentheonlyplacesforthemtofindoutinformationabout

theircommunity;thus,communitynewsWebsitesshouldplaceasignificant

emphasisonpublishedlocal,originallyreportednews.Theanalysisfoundthatboth

sitesdoproducelocalcontentfortheWebmoreoftenthantheypostnewswireor

nationalcontent.

Table5

Numberoflocally-producedstories

Sites Local Wire

Site1(THB) 30(100%) 0(0%)Site2(AA) 28(93%) 2(7%)


Lessthan7%ofthestoriespublishedonTheHeraldBulletin.comwerefrom

thenewswireTheAssociatedPress.AllofthestoriespublishedonAnnArbor.com

werelocallyproduced.


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Part5:Discussion

Analysis

Theresultsofthisanalysiscanbeattributedtothewayeachorganization

runs.Basedontheanalysisandpreviousworkexperiencewithbothcompanies,the

resultsemphasizethatthenewspapercompanyfocusesontheprintproduct

primarily.Themostobviousindicationofthisisthelackofpicturesandvideothat

complementstoriesontheWebsite.Becausethenewspapersfirstpriorityisthe

printproduct,photographersanddesignersusemostoftheirtimeandenergyon

theneedsoftheprintedition.Ifastoryhasapictureinthenewspaper,itwill

probablyhaveapictureonline.However,thismeansthatifthestoryinthe

newspaperdoesnotneedagraphicelement,thestoryonlinewillnothaveone.

Thesameistrueofvideo.Anewspapercannotprintvideo,andthusthe

companywhosenewspaperwastheprimaryproductdidnotpostanyvideoduring

theperiodofthisanalysis.Asexplainedearlier,videoonlineisstillafairlynew

concept,andmanycommunitynewscompaniesdonothavetheequipment,staff,or

trainingtoshoot,edit,andpostvideosontheWeb.

Theresultofnographics,pictures,orvideo,isatextheavypagethatcanbe

construedasboringtotheaudience.AccordingtoNielsenandPernice(2009),pages


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shouldbevisuallyinterestingtokeepanaudience.Picturesandvideosareonlya

coupleofseveralwaystodothis.Thesameresearchsuggestedotherwaystobreak

upapagesuchaschunkinginformationinsteadofdesigningitallinahomogenous

formatandprovidingheadingsforeachsection.

Also,theresultsindicatethatbothsiteswerecateringtotheaudienceby

postinginformationimmediatelybeforehightraffichours.Peakhours,asdescribed

earlier,happenwhenprofessionalsgettowork(8a.m.to9a.m.)andagainaround

lunchtime.Bothsitesusedinthisanalysisseemedtousethesepeakhoursas

guidelinesofwhentopostcontent.Thesitesalsopublishedmostlylocalcontent,

whichalsoindicatesthatthecompaniesaretryingtoprovidestoriesand

informationthatlarger,nationalsitesdonot.ForAnnArbor.com,thebusinessmodel

isbasedontheideaofhyperlocalnews,whichmeansthatthemainnewspriority

forthesiteisproximity.Accordingtothismindset,peoplecanfindstoriesfromthe

AssociatedPressorotherwireserviceselsewhereontheWeb.

Limitations

Itisimportanttocriticallyevaluatetheresultsandthewholestudy.This

studyhaslimitationsthatshouldbetakenintoaccountwhenconsideringtheresults

andtheirimplications.Someoftheselimitationscanbeusedasstartingpointsfor

futureresearch.

Thisanalysisaimedtoshowthecurrentstateofprofessionallyproduced

communitynewsontheWeb.OutofthehundredsofprofessionalnewsWebsites

updateddailyintheUnitedStates,onlytwowereusedinthisstudy.Thesamplesize


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canbeseenasalimitationasitrepresentsonlyasmallportionofthenumberof

professionalnewsWebsitesinthecountry.Thesetwositeswereusedas

representationsoftraditionalcommunitynewsWebsites.However,bothcome

frommediumsizedMidwesterncities.Sitesbasedinlargercitiesandindifferent

regionscouldgarnermuchdifferentresults.Othersitesandotherregionsreportfor

audienceswithdifferentneedsandintereststhanthosewholiveinthese

Midwesterncities.

Thenumberofstoriesanalyzedcanalsobeconsideredasmallsamplesize,

astheyareonlypartofanongoingprocessofnewstellingthatcontinuesdailyall

overthecountry.Intheentiretyofthisstudy,60newsitemswereanalyzed.

However,theseitemswerecompletelydependentonthestaffsizeandproductivity

ofeachorganization;theamountofnewshappeningineachcity;andtheeditorial

processateachorganizationputtingthecontentontheWeb.Staffsizecouldchange

theresultofonhowmanystoriesarereportedandhowmanyofthosestoriesmake

ittotheWebproduct.

Thestudywasdoneovera10dayperiodinFebruaryandMarch2010.Days

werechosenatrandomduringthistimeperiod.However,nomajornewsevent

(suchasaSuperBowloralargeearthquake)happenedduringthisresearchperiod.

Majornewseventschangethedynamicsofanewsroomdramatically.Despitethe

hyperlocalmentalityofAnnArbor.com,ifanationalnewseventhadhappened,the

staffwouldhavebeenassignedstoriestolocalizethenationalevent.Thesameis

trueofTheHeraldBulletin.Iftheresearchperiodhadbeenoveralongerperiodof


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time,therecouldhavebeenalargerpossibilitythatamajornewseventwouldhave

happened,thuschangingthestatisticscollected.

Futureresearch

Furtherresearchofcommunitynewsisneededtoconfirmandexpandonthe

informationfoundduringthisstudy.Alargercontentanalysisthatincludesmore

communitynewssitesandmorenewsitemsoveralongerperiodoftimeis

necessarytoshowatrendincommunitynews.Wang(2006)suggestedthatwhen

performingacontentanalysisofonlinenews,thebestsampletotestconsistencyof

anewsWebsitewouldrequirecollectionofatleast50samplesoverarandomsix

dayperiodfromeachsite.Byresearchingsitesforalongerperiodoftimeand

collectingmoresamplesfromeachsite,theresearchercaninvestigatethesites

consistencywitheachitem(Wang).Also,furtherresearchmightincludetheWeb

sitesofbroadcastnewscompanies,astheyareonlyrecentlyusingtheWebasa

marketfornewaudiencemembers.Futureresearchcouldcomparetrendsbetween

newspaperWebsitesandbroadcastWebsites.

ThenewsandtheWebarechangingatsuchaquickpacethatastudylikethis

onequicklybecomesobsoleteasnewtechnologyandnewstorytellingmethodsare

usedtodisseminatenews.NielsenandPernice(2009)notedintheirstudythatthe

presentationofmultiplemediaontheWebhasincreasinglyimprovedinthepast

decadeandusershavecometoexpectmore.Thewaypeopleviewandusethe

multimediacontentonaWebsitewillmostlikelychangeevenmoreinthenext

decade.


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Thetechnologyusedtodisseminatenewshaschangeddramaticallyinthe

pastdecadeaswell.Newspapersandtelevisionstationshavebecomepartofan

intricatesystemofmediausedtofindoutinformation.Thisstudymainlyfocusedon

theWebsitesoftwonewsorganizationsbeingviewedonacomputerscreen.Future

researchshouldtakemobiledevicesandothersystemsintoaccount.

Finally,themajorityofpreviousstudieshadresearchedanationalaudience,

andthus,nationalnewssites.Moreresearchisneededintheareaofcommunity

newsandcommunitynewsoutlets,asthemajorityofnewsisdisseminatedthrough

them.Specifically,aresearchershouldcomparelocallyownednewspaperssuchas

TheElkhartTruthtoconglomerateownednewspaperssuchasthoseownedby

GannettorScripps.

Conclusion

ThisanalysissuggeststhatsomecommunitynewsWebsitesareusing

techniquesdescribedbyWebexpertsaseffectivemeansofusabilityand

communicationforcontentandaestheticsontheirsites.Thisimpliesthat

companieswithoutthefinancialmeanstopayforextensivefocusgroupsand

usabilitytestingsuchasTheHeraldBulletincanstillstaywiththetrendsonthe

Web.

However,thesestandardsareboundtochangeastechnologycontinuesto

advance.Onlyafewyearsago,picturesweredifficulttoloadonaWebpage.Now,a

Webpagewithoutsomegraphicelementisconsideredboring.Soonsiteswithout

videowillsufferfromthesameclassification.Asbroadbandpenetratesmoreand


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moreoftheInternetuserpopulation,moreinteractiveelementsandvideoswillbe

expectedtokeeptheattentionofaudiencemembers.

Asthistechnologybecomesmoreprevalent,companiesthatdisseminate

communitynewswillneedtoinvestfarmoreintheWeb.HiringWebspecificstaff

suchasinteractivitydevelopers,Webwriters,andvideoeditors,isjustoneofmany

needsthatmustbeaddressedattheselocalnewscompanies.Whilesomesuggest

trainingcurrentstafftoperformthesefunctions,itisimportanttonotethata

separatestaffemphasizestheimportanceoftheWebsite.Thatemphasisonthe

Webiswhatdifferentiatesanewsorganizationthatcanadapttochangeandone

thatcannot.Ultimatelytheorganizationthatcannotadaptwillfail.

AfactorinthenewsslowmovetotheWebisthelackofasuccessful

businessmodelforWebbasednewscompanies(Garrison,2005).While

AnnArbor.comisattemptingtocreateasuccessfulmodel,ithasyettoprovethatthe

businessmodelissustainable.WhentransitioningfromTheAnnArborNewsto

AnnArbor.com,thecompanycuthundredsofstaffmembers.Becauseofthelackofa

successful,sustainablebusinessmodel,companiesthatstillprimarilyproducea

newspaperhavebeenreluctanttoproduceonlineonlycontent(Salwen,2005).

However,theneedandaudienceispresentforonlinenews.Asonlinenews

becomesevenmoreprevalenttoAmericans,thesecompanieswillhavetoadaptand

offeronlineexclusivesthatincludeinvestigativereports.Onlinenewssiteswill

havetoofferoriginalnewsiftheyaretoevolveintomorelegitimateandoriginal


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newsresourcesintheirownrightandbecomemorethanpromotionaloutletsfor

parentmediaoutlets(Salwen,2005).

Online,newscanbesupplementedwithpowerfulelementsthataddtothe

contentinanewsstory.Withaddedcontentsuchasvideosandinteractivegraphics,

audiencememberscaneasilybecomemoreinformedabouttheircommunityand

theissuesthataffectthem.IndependentsitessuchasSalonandSlateshowthat

thereisanaudienceforindepth,originalonlinenews(Salwen,2005).Knowing

this,communitynewssitesshouldtakemoreinitiativetoproduceindepthreports

aboutissuesandpeopleintheircommunity.

Anexampleofthistypeofnewsreportingmightcomeintheformofshort

photobaseddocumentarieslikethoseonthesiteMediaStorm.org,whichhasbeen

verysuccessfulincreatingmeaningful,impactfulnarrativesaboutissuesthatface

peoplethroughouttheworld.Despiteanobviousbiasfortheunderdog,thestories

featuredonMediaStormareinformative,yetcapturing.

AnotherexampleofthistypeofstorytellingistheshortdocumentaryAlhur:

TheFreeOnes.ThisnarrativefollowsthesameideasasthoseonMediaStorm.org;

however,thedocumentaryandtheWebsiteforthedocumentaryweremadeovera

longperiodoftimebyasmallgroupofpeople.Thisdocumentaryfollowsthelivesof

afamilyofIraqirefugeesastheytrytoadjusttoAmericancultureandlifestyles.The

documentaryusesthisfamilyasrepresentativesofagroupofpeopleintheUnited

States.Theyhavethesameproblemsasthousandsofotherrefugeesthroughoutthe

country;however,theirlocalitytotheIndianapolisareamakesthestorymuchmore


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prevalenttoaudiencemembersintheMidwest.Thisstoryalsobringsawarthatis

thousandsofmilesawaybacktotheUnitedStatesandintothelivesofAmericans.

OntheWebsiteforthedocumentary(www.thealhurs.com),thereareseveral

shortvideosandinteractivegraphicsforpeopletousetofindoutmoreaboutthe

IraqifamilyandtheIraqirefugeesituationinAmerica.Thevideosonthissiteare

lessthanthreeminuteslong.Asstudieshaveshown,highlyproduced,shortform

videosaregainingpopularityonline(Rick,2009).Thissiteprovidesthattypeof

contenttocomplementthelongformstoryinthedocumentary.

NewspapersandothernewsWebsitesshouldconsiderprojectslikethisfor

theirWebsites.Aprojectlikethisonecouldbedonebyasmallstaffatacommunity

newsoffice.Storieslikethisareavailableineverycommunity,andwhiletheytakea

longhoursandinvestigativereporting,siteslikeMediaStormhaveshownthatthere

isanaudienceforthesetypesofinvestigationsandnarratives.Addingashortvideo

doesnotrequiremuchmorethanareporterhavingavideocamerawiththemat

interviewsandevents.ForTheAlhurs.com,theshortvideoscamefromcontentthat

couldnotbeusedinthedocumentary.IfnotfortheWebsite,thiscontentwould

havestayedonthetapesnevertobeseenagain.

Journalistsonthejobhuntarecontinuallybeingaskedforskillsinmultiple

mediaplatforms,buttheevidenceoftheseskillshasyettoberealizedonline.

Companiesshouldtaketheinitiativetogiveeachreporteracameraandreallypush

formultimediacontent.PriorexperienceatAnnArbor.comshowedthatthe

companyplacedmoreemphasisongettingthatextracontentfortheWebsite;


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while,experienceatTheHeraldBulletinshowedamuchlargeremphasisonfilling

spaceinthenewspaper,leavingmultimediabehind.Ofcourseitisimportanttonote

thatTheHeraldBulletinstaffdoesnothavethetrainingortheequipmentnecessary

toeasilyproducevideofortheWeb.

Insummary,communitynewssitesshouldtakemoreinitiativetobepresent

ontheWeb.HavingaWebsitewiththenewsthatwasinthenewspaperisnot

enough.Online,sitesshouldhaveinteractiveelementsthatcomplementthestories

andhelpaudiencemembersrelatetothestories.Thesesitesshouldalsoinvestin

longterm,indepth,visualreporting,astherehasbeenevidenceofademandfor

thistypeofstorytellingonline.Whileanewspaperreportercantellaveryindepth

storyin40inchesofcopyonnewsprint,theaudienceislookingforthedepthbut

withvisualsthatkeeptheirattention.Theyareseekinganarrativethattheycan

relatetoandthattellsacompellingstory,whileatthesametimeexplainsa

complicatedprocessintermstheycanrelatetoandunderstand.


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kermanj_an analysis of community news websites

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