Engaging News Project News Engagement Workshop Report2

Engaging News Project 1 | P a g e

NewsEngagementWorkshopReportCompiled by Natalie Jomini Stroud, Alex Curry, Cynthia Peacock, & Katie Steiner

Photographs by Melissa Huebsch

ForitssecondNewsEngagementWorkshop,theEngagingNewsProjectbroughttogetheragroupofdigitalnewsleadersincluding,fromleft:JenniferCarroll,GannettDigital;BarryOsborne,TheDenverPost;AlexQuinn,e.thePeople;WrightBryan,NPR;Dr.NatalieStroud,EngagingNewsProject;ToddOlmstead,TheWallStreetJournal;AllisonRockey,Vox;EnriqueLavin,NJAdvanceMedia;andMeganChan,Politico.

IntroductionInOctober,theEngagingNewsProjecthosteditssecondNewsEngagementWorkshop,bringingtogether11digitalnewsthoughtleadersfromCNN,TheDenverPost,GannettDigital,NJAdvanceMedia,NPR,Philly.com,Politico,Vox,TheWallStreetJournal,andTheWashingtonPost.Duringthetwo‐dayworkshop,participantssharedtheirideasandexperienceswithdigitalinnovationintheirnewsorganizations.

Participantsbrainstormedanincrediblearrayofnewideasaboutdigitalnews.Wedescribemanyideasinthisreport,buttomentionafew:

Metrics‐basedgoalsetting:Havejournalistssetgoalsfortheirstoriesandthenevaluatewhethertheymetthegoal

Wasthishelpful?:Providearatingscaleallowingreaderstogivefeedbackaboutwhethernewsstoriesarehelpful

Tailorarticlelength:Createarticlesofdifferentlengthstocatertodifferentreaders Citizen‐focusedreporting:Combatpoliticalpolarizationbygivingcitizensmorevoicein

politicalstories


Inthisreport,wedescribethethemesthatemergedfromtheworkshop,including:

(1) DigitalSuccessandAnalytics–Howcananalyticsandengagementbestbeincorporatedthroughoutthepracticeofmakingthenews?Whatnewmetricswouldyouwant?

(2) AudienceInvolvement–Howcanreadersandstaffengage?(3) WebsiteDesign–Whatarebestpracticesandnewideasforprovidingvisitorswithreasonsto

keepcomingback?(4) PoliticalPolarization–Whatcouldnewsroomsdotoaffectlevelsofpolarization?(5) QuestionsFacingtheDigitalNewsroom–Whatdoyouwishyouknewaboutmetrics,workflow,

mobile,andkeepingpacewithtechnology?


DigitalSuccess&Analytics

From left: Jonathan Kartt, Rita Allen Foundation; Jennifer Carroll, Gannett Digital; Ryan Kellett, The Washington Post; Barry Osborne, The Denver Post.

Workshopparticipantsdiscussedthemetricsthattheyuseandhowtomaximizesuccessbasedonthemetrics.Participantssharedavarietyofideasthatclusteredaroundthreethemes:(1)JournalisticUsesofAnalytics,(2)Newsrooms’DigitalSuccessesandAnalyticsPractices,and(3)SocialMediaasDigitalSuccess.Participantsalsosharedcreativeideasaboutwhatmetricstheywishedexisted;someoftheirthoughtsarelistedbelowunder“blueskymetrics.”1. JournalisticUsesofAnalyticsGivingjournalistsaccesstotheiranalyticsandusingmetrics‐basedgoalsettingwerediscussed.Ithinkit’ssuchapowerfulthingforjournaliststo[seetheirnumbers],butwehavepeoplewhosaytheydon’twanttoonlythinkaboutthepageviews.Wego,okay,soshowme.Whatissuccessforyou?Becausewecanfindoutifyourstorywasactuallysuccessful.Writethestorythatgetseverybodythroughthestorytotheend.WriteastorythatgetssharedonFacebook.Don’tpoo‐poothepopularstuff.Great,godosomethingthat’sdeeper,moreengagedonthatsubject.Butthenshowthatyouactuallymetagoal,thatitwassuccessfulwiththeaudience.Youcan’tjustwriteaboutbikingtoworkbecauseyou’repassionateaboutit.Takeitastepfurther.(Clarke)ThegreatnessofChartbeatisthatyoucanhavereal‐timenumbers.TheterriblepartofChartbeatisit’seasytogettoofocusedonit….You’vegottospendsomeserioustimegettingintoOmniture.Ithastobeeasyforreporterstojumponboardandthat’swhyChartbeatissuchapresenceamongnewsorganizationsthesedays.(Kellett)

Chartbeatisjustshowingyouwhat’shappeningrightnow;itisnotthewholestory.(Bryan)


Emphasiswasplacedontheeffectiveuseoftechnology,whethertofacilitatejournalismortoresurfaceoldercontent.Whatwe’relookingforinourmetrics[foroldercontent]istoseewhat’sbubblingupforwhateverreasonandthentorepublishitoutthroughsocial.Peoplefindstuffandusuallythere’sareasonforit.Whenyouseeastorythat’sayearoldortwoyearsoldthat’ssuddenlygetting50,000pageviewsoutofnowhere,youaskwhyisthat?Andoftenit’sbecauseananniversaryiscomingupornewshashappenedagainthat’srelatedtoit,andwe’llgrabthatandputitinourFacebookfeedandputitoutonTwitter,andoftenwe’llgetalotoftraffictoitagain.(Bryan)

Weaskisthisstoryareallysolidpieceofjournalism,anddoesthetechnologythatwebuiltgetinthewayordoesithelpit?(Chan)2. Newsrooms’DigitalSuccessesandAnalyticsPracticesIncorporatinganalyticsandengagementthroughoutthenewsreportingprocessemergedasanimportantindicatorofdigitalsuccess.Oneofthethingsthatwe’vebeentryingtopracticeisthinkingaboutengagementaspartofthereportingprocess….Webringinourcommunityengagementeditorstobepartofthatconversation.(Lavin)

Wehaveanewlyformedaudiencedevelopmentdeskandoneofthethingsthathashappenedforthelastsixmonthsorsoiswehaveanaudiencedevelopmentmanagerwhosendsoutanoteatabout9:30everymorningwithwhat’stoppingGoogleNews….It’sspecific,it’sdaily,it’sclear,itgetseditorsrightwheretheyare,anditkeepsthemfocusedontheInternet.(Lichter)

IfindthatjustbyhavingourproducersA/Btestheadlines,we’reincreasingallofourmetrics.(TurkTolub)

WhenwegetaneditorusinganewdigitaltoolorTwitterorFacebookfortheirreporting,that’sakindofdigitalsuccessforus.(Lichter)

Onethingthatwe’relookingforisnotjustarethereportersengagedinsocialmedia,butaretheytalkingabouteachother?Arethepeopleinourorganizationssupportingeachotheronsocial?Isourstuffgoodenoughthattheywantto?(Bryan)

Participantsalsomentionedkeepingaclearbrandidentitywhileutilizingmetrics.Ithinktherealkeyforusisfocusing[onyourkeyaudience]andstayinginyourlane.TheInternetissuchabigplacethatyoucouldchaseeverythingifyouwantedto.(Chan)

It’saboutprotectingthebrand,butalsoabouthowcanwestretch?Howcanwegrow?(Clarke)3. SocialMediaasDigitalSuccessSocialmediapresentsmanyopportunities,butcaremustbetakentomanagethebrandandtothinkaboutthebusinesssideofthenews.


Social’sgrowthisexciting.Morepeoplehaveaccesstoinformationandwaystoengagewithit.Withtheseplatformsbeingmajortrafficdrivers,thetrickismakingsurethatthediscussionishappeningonourPolitico.complatform.ThereistremendousvalueinthevolumeofdistributiononFacebookorTwitter,butweneedtomakesurethatconversationisnotonlyaroundourjournalismbutonourplatformstobenefitourbusiness.(Chan)

Thesocialmediateamsitsinaprettyawkwardpositionbetweenwantingtocreatecontentthat’smoreshareableandmaybeappealstoabigger,broaderaudiencethatmaynotbeinlinewithwhatsellssubscriptions….We’resortofbalancingthebrandthatwe’reknownforwithreachingaudiencesthatdon’tknowusaswell,andit’schallenging.(Lichter)

Peopledon’thavetimetoclickoneverythingintheirfeed,soifyouclickonaPoliticothing,Iwantyoutoknowthatit’sworththetime.(Chan)

We’vefoundthatreferralsonsocialusuallyareonepageanddone.(Carroll)OurdigitalteamhasbeentryingtoeducateourstaffthatTwitterisnotwheretheircoreaudienceis.It’sonourwebsite.Unlessyouhavemorethan1,000followers,andtheyareclickingonlinkstoyourstories,thenthevastmajorityofyourreadersareonthewebsitewhereyou’regettingmorethan1,000pageviewsperstory.(Lavin)Socialheadlinesalsohavetomatchthebrand.Ifyou’rethewriter,ifyou’rethepersonwho’sauthoringthecontent,youneedtowritethebestthingtosellyourstorythefirsttimebecauseeverythingelseisbasedonthat.Sothebigpushthispastyearinournewsroomisgetyourheadline–getashareablesocialheadline–therefirstandtherestoftheteamwilltakecareofoptimizingthatindifferentways.(Kellett)

Thisistongue‐in‐cheek,butinColorado,wehadastoryaboutthesuburbangirlswhoweretryingtogotoSyria,andwhenwelaunchedamajorupdate,Iwantedtochangetheheadlineto,“YouWon’tBelieveWhatTheseSuburbanDenverGirlsDidOverTheWeekend.”Andwewerenotgoingtodothat.Butjustonce,Ijustwanttodoittoseewhatwouldhappen;butthat’snotourbrand.(Osborne)

Weare–forourwritersinparticular–trackingbothsocialandSEO,soweknowhowmanyoftheirreadersarecomingfromsearch.(Rockey)4. BlueSkyMetricsParticipantsbrainstormedahostofnewmetricsthatwouldbeuseful.We’vetalkedalotabouttimespent,butsomethingthatIthinkwouldbereallyvaluableissomesortoftimesavedmetric.Timesavedwouldbe:Didyoudelivertheinformationthatsomeonewantedinthemostefficientwaypossible?Ithinkahallmarkofareallyengagedaudienceisonethatknowstheycancometoyoutogetwhattheyneedinanefficientwaythat’srespectfuloftheirtime….Idon’twanttotrickthemintospendingalongtimeonoursiteifeverytimetheyleave,theydidn’tgetwhattheyneededordidn’tgetwhattheycametherefor.Iwouldratherthattheyalwayscomebackandnotstayverylong,butfeelextrainformedwhentheyleave.(Olmstead)


I’minterestedindefiningtheaudienceyouwanttoreachandthenhavingthemetricstofigureoutifyouactuallyreachedthatcommunity.Andifyoudidn’treachthatcommunity,whatothercommunitiesdidyoureach?(Kellett)

Myblueskyideawouldbeassigningacostvaluetoeverypieceofcontentthatweproducethatsays:thisishowmuchitcostintermsofafractionofsalaryfortheguywhowroteit,hisgasmoney,andsoon,andthencomparingthatagainsttheadswehadonthepage,whattheclick‐throughswere,whattheimpressionswereforthatpage,andthewholecycle.(Chan)

Inbaseball,there’sthisthingcalledOBPS.It’syouron‐basepercentage,plusyoursluggingpercentage,soit’showmuchyougetonbaseandyourpower.IwouldliketobeabletohaveanOBPSforreporterssothatwhentheyask,“Whyisn’tmystoryonthehomepage?”Icansay“yourstoryisdoinggreat,butit’sdoingterribleonthehomepage.Itdoesn’tmeanyou’renotavaluableplayer.”(Osborne)

Iwonderifyoucoulddoathinglikethesupportwebsitesforanyonlineservice,whereattheendofittheyask,wasthishelpful?Becauseallthesupportsitesareautomated,theytrytousethatinformationtofigureoutwhichpostsareactuallyusefultothepeoplewhocametheretofindsomethingout.Iwonderifwecoulddothatinnews.(Bryan)


AudienceInvolvement

Fromleft:MeganChan,Politico;BenTurkTolub,Philly.com;AllisonLichter,TheWallStreetJournal;andRachelClarke,CNN.Participantsansweredseveralquestionsrelatedtoaudienceengagement,including:

Whatdoesengagementmeanforyou/yourorganization? How,ifatall,doessocialmediahelpyourorganization? Whataresomeoftheproblemsassociatedwithcommentsections? Whatarenewwaystotrytoengagenewsaudiences?

1. ForReaders:MoveReadersUptheLadderofEngagement

Welookatitintermsofaladderofengagement–what’sthelowestbarrier,easiestthingwecangetpeopletodo,andthenmovingpeopleuptohighersteps.(Rockey)Ithinkthatyouneedtostartlowandfrequentlyinengagement–it’sacontinuousloop–sothatwhensomethingsignificanthappens,they’rereadyforyou.(Carroll)Onthesocialmediaend,welookatengagementintermsofretweets,replies,andshares,andit’simportanttous,butwehaveasensethatit’simportanttoustohavearelationshipwithreadersjustbecausewewantthemtofeelconnectedtous.We’reaskingmorefollowersonsocialnetworkstotelluswhattheythinkaboutthingsandthattranslatesintospreadingourwordoutsideofourwallsmore,andthat’s,initself,valuable.(Lichter)Wewantouraudiencetocometouswhentheydon’thaveto.Ifwecanbuildandengageanaudiencethatknowswhoweareandhowtheyfitinandhowtheycanbenefitfromus—thatwouldbeagreatthingtoachieve.(Clarke)I'mlookingatwaysofrewardingthebestcommenters,perhapsthewayTwitterverifiesaprofilewithacheckmark.Ifwecouldfindawaytogive“trustedusers”abadgetohelpmoderate,we


believewe’llbeabletoimprovetheconversation.Thisgoeshandinhandwithhavingourreportingstaffinthecommentsmoreoften.(Lavin)

2. FortheStaff:EngagedAudiencesLeadtoEngagedReporting

Theladderofengagementexistswithinourstaffaswell.Givereportersandeditorstoolstheywanttouse,thattheyfeelcomfortableusing.Yougetgreatstoryideas.Yougetgreatengagement.(Lichter)We’vehadsomesuccesswithQ&AsonFacebook.Andthereportersandeditorswhohavedoneithavealightbulbgooffwheretheysay,“Whoa,thequestionsaregood.Peoplecareaboutthisandtheywanttotalktomeaboutit.”(Olmstead)WeweredoingQ&A’sonoursitewiththereporterandshehadthreestoryideascomeoutofthequestionsthatcamefromthereadersinanhour‐and‐a‐halfperiod.ThenewsroomgetsveryenergizedbytheseQ&Asandtheresponsefromtheaudience.It’sreally,reallyexciting.(Rockey)We’vehadlimitedsuccesswithlivechats.Sportsgetsbettertractionthananyotherarea.What’skeytousismakingsurereadersknowwe’reavailableforthemandthatwecanprovideaccesstothenewsmakerstheycareabout.Sowe’vebeendoingmorelivevideochatsthroughGoogleHangoutwithlawmakersorreportertoreporter,askingreaderstosendquestionsinadvancesowecangetthoseanswered.(Lavin)WegetreportersintoaRedditchatandthequestionsareverygoodandfunandinteresting,andtheyoftendoitoveranhourandahalforthey’llcomebacktoitlaterthatnightandrejointheconversation.(Bryan)Atakeawayisthatengagementisnotjustaboutwhatyourreadersorviewersaredoing,it’salsoaboutwhatyourinternalpeoplearedoing.Itgoesbothways.(Olmstead)

3. ElevatetheConversationbyBeingaPartofIt

Inconjunctionwithourprimarymissionofgettingourreportingstaffinfrontoftheaudienceisimprovingtheconversationonthesite.We’vetakenaconcertedefforttomakethecontentofthecommentsreflectthejournalismthatwepresentandmakeitmoreinvitingforpeopletoparticipateinthepublicdiscourse.(Lavin)WedoalotofMeetups,alotoffindingoutwherethecommunityis,whateverthatcommunitymightbe,andencouragingthenewsroom,especiallythereportingstaff,tospendmuchmoreoftheirtimetheresothattheycanhelpbecatalystsfordiscussionandreallybeontopofthepulse.It’saboutelevatingtheconversationsothatwhenyou’rethere,you’rereallygettingtotheheartofwhat’shappening.(Carroll)Ithinkinallthisdigitalworldandpersonalizationandwhatnot,peopledon’tmeetface‐to‐face,andpeoplereallydolikeit:Here’sarealpersontalkingtometellingmethestory.Andyeah,youcanwatchitonvideo,butIthinkwhenyouseethatintheroom,it’sverypowerful.(Osborne)

Ifsomeone’sgoingtoshowupforanevent,theybasicallydecidedthatthey’reaboutwhoyouare.(Kellett)


4. DirectlyInvolvetheAudience

Engageleaders&expertsfromthecommunityTherearealotofexpertsinthecommunity.Soifyou’retryingtosolvesomethingthatisreallycomplex,chancesarethattherearepeopleinthecommunitythatareexpertsonthatthetopic,andthey’reverygladtostartweighingin.(Carroll)MakesurethattheleadersinthatfieldarementionedinaTweet,orthatyou’redirectingaTweettothemspecifically.Wetrytogetthebigvoicesinanyparticularareatospeaknotforus,buttospeakaboutus.(Clarke)Intryingtoengagecommunityleaders,westartedaprojectcalledVoicesofPhillyandgavemanyofthemtheirownblogsonthesite.Theybroughttheircommunityalongwiththem,theygetlotsofcomments,andthey’vebecomeverypopularonthesite.(TurkTolub)Tagging,moderating,andcategorizingWewouldreallyliketohavepeopletagourcurrentcontentandourarchivalcontentnotonlyinthestandardtaxonomykindofways,butalsotagitintomorelifestylebuckets—howitrelatestotheirlives.Givepeoplethechancetorespondtothecontentinadifferentway,aswellastosortitoutforusandexplainittous.(Bryan)Whenpeoplearetaggingtheircontentandfilingitawayorthey’restarringthingsandsavingthemforlater;Ithinkallthoseactionsaresoimportant.(Chan)Ihopewecouldfindawayforreaderstohelpmoderate–helpthemtobepartoftheconversationwheretheconversation’stakingplaceonthetopicsthattheycareabout.(Lavin)Mydreamisforushaveareallysmartwayofcategorizingandtaggingouruserssothatwecanengagewithpeopleandknowthatwhensomeonesays,“I’madoctorwhoisanexpertonthis,”thatweknowinternallythat’sactuallywhothatpersonis.(Olmstead)We’vepracticedalittlebitwithidentifyingandinvitingpeoplewhowanttoparticipateinpublicdiscourseonthesite,andhittingthemupspecifically–invitingpeoplewhowriteop‐edstogointothecommentstosupportordefendtheirop‐ed,orpeoplewhoareknowledgeableontheirsideofthetopictogointhecomments.(Lavin)

Crowdsourcing&audience‐guidedcontentWe’realwayschasinganaudience.We’retryingtogetonthetrendasit’sgoingup.Whatifwehadareliablesetofpeoplewhoaretellinguswhattheywant?Someonewhonotonlyengageswithyou,butisinvestedinyou?Thatwouldbeaverypowerfulpersontohaveonyoursite.(Clarke)

WiththeCuriousCityproject,thepublicsuggestswhatshouldbecoveredandthestationinvolvesthepersonwhosuggesteditinthecoverage.Soit’saverypersonalkindofathing.(Bryan)


TheBoldItalicreallytriestoidentifythepulseofwhatmattersandtheninvitethecommunitytohelpthemwiththereporting.Whatthey’velearnedisthatwhenyousay,“Beajournalist,”peoplesay,“Oh,wait.Idon’thavethequalificationsforthat.”Butifyousay,“Sharewhatyouknow.Sharewhatyou’rethinking.Sharewhatyou’redoing.”thentheyrespondalotdifferently.(Carroll)There’saprojectinNewOrleanscalledListeningPostandthey’vereachedintocommunitieswherepeoplearenotonlineandaskedthemaquestiononceaweek.Theypickthroughtheanswersandthenputpeopleon‐airtotrytogiveavoicetothecommunitythat’snotthere.(Bryan)


WebsiteDesign

Participantsbrokeintogroupstobrainstormhowtogetpeopletostayonasiteafterthey’veclickedonanarticle.Theytalkedaboutwhatworked,intheirexperience,andwhatthey’dbeinterestedintrying.1. PersonalizationPersonalizingandtailoringthecontenttomeetusers’needswasseenasonewaytoincreaseinteractiononasite.Severaltailoringstrategiesthatcouldbedoneautomaticallybyanewsorganizationwerementioned.Specifically,thenewsproductcouldbetailoredbasedon:

Wherepeoplecomefrom(e.g.Twittervs.Facebook) Howfardownthepageareaderhasgotten Whetherthepersonisafirst‐timesitevisitororonewhohasbeentothesitebefore Device‐specificpersonalization Timeofday

Otherpersonalizationoptionscouldbeenactedbythevisitorandfacilitatedbyanewsorganization,includingpersonalizationbasedon:

One’smood Howmuchtimeonehas(e.g.,WNYC) Havingaudiencestagthecontentforthemselvesandcreatetheirowncommunitiesaround

differenttagsThegroupalsoemphasizedthatthereneedstobesomerandomnessinanyrecommendationsystemsothatreaderscanbesurprisedandcanlearnabouttopicsthattheydidn’tevenknowwereofinterest.2. TimeandConvenienceRecognizingthatpeoplearebusy,workshopparticipantsbrainstormedseveralwaystohelpreadersmanagetheirtimeonasite.Thelengthofthearticlecameupseveraltimes.Severalparticipantswonderedaboutwhetherarticlelengthcouldbetailoredbytypeofreader.Insightscouldbegainedbybetterunderstandingwhenpeopletypicallyleaveapageonaverage.Questionsaroseabouthowtosignalthelengthofanarticletoareader.Afewideasemergedsuchasusingsubheadstomakelongercontentseemmoremanageable.Othersnominatedwaysofhelpingreadersmanagetheirtime,suchasallowinguserstopickupwheretheyleftoff,givingthema“saveforlater”option,oremailingthemaboutstoriestheywantedtoreadlater.


3. PageDesignPagedesigncanaffectwhetherpeopleremainonasiteorleave.Althoughafewworkshopparticipantscommentedthatthehomepageisdead,severalcamefromorganizationsworkingtodomorewiththeirhomepages.Questionsaroseabouthowmanyentrypointsareneededonahomepage,particularlyhowmanyarerequiredabovethefold.Atthesametime,somementionedtheneedtoreduceclutter.Featuresavailableonthesitealsomatter;severalcommentedthatquizzes,galleries,andpollsattractusers.Thinkingabouthowtoexpandthisinthefuture,participantswonderedaboutincludingvideosandlinksaspartofgalleriestogivepeopletheabilitytodigdeeperintoastory.Therightrailcameupduringconversation.Althoughtherewasagreementthatthisisadifficultpartofawebpage,severalfoundcontentthatdidwellinthespace,suchas“topstories,”linkstopopularsections,anduniquevisualcontent.Videosandvisualsplayanimportantroleindesign.Featuringvideoonthepagewhenmostpeoplewatch,suchasonweekends,wasonestrategymentioned.Navigationbarsraisedquestions–howmanypeopleusethem?Howcantheybedesignedeffectively?4. Banners,InlineLinking,Pop‐upsServingpeoplewithadditionalcontentattherightmomentcanincreasetimeonsite.Inlinelinkingandsuggestedlinksworkedwellforseveralorganizationsrepresentedattheworkshop.Somewonderedabouthowmanysuggestedlinkswouldbeappropriate;itispossiblethattwoorthreecarefullycuratedlinksmaybebetterthanmorelinks.Linksthatprovidecontext,suchasthe“5ThingsYouMissed”aboutarecentnewstopic,couldbeparticularlyvaluable.Participantsalsomentionedinfinitescrollasastrategyworthexploring.Itwasclearthatparticipantshadsomehesitationaboutusingbannersorpop‐ups.Theyworriedthatpeoplegetnumbtopop‐upsandthatabannerfollowingyoucouldbeannoying.Yethavingsomethingthatphysicallymovesintothefieldofviewwithasuggestedarticleseemedappealingtosomeasawayencouragepeopletostayonthesite.Mobilecameupasaconsideration;severalavoidfeaturessuchasflyoutsandpop‐upsthatdon’ttranslatetomobile.


PoliticalPolarization

Fromleft:WrightBryan,NPR;Dr.NatalieStroud,EngagingNewsProject;ToddOlmstead,TheWallStreetJournal;AllisonRockey,Vox.Participantsweregivenfiveminutestobrainstorm,thensharetheirideasonwhattheycoulddotoimprovepoliticalpolarizationviatheirwebsites.

1. ChangetheFocus

Oneoftheclearestthemesacrossparticipantswasshiftingthefocusofnewsreportingfrompoliticianstocitizensandpoliciesaffectingcitizens.

Whatifwegavereaderstheopportunitytoreadapoliticalstory,withtheoptiontonotseeinformationthatislikelytoinfluencetheirviewofthefacts?Wecouldallowthemtohideinformationsuchaswhatpoliticalpartysomeonebelongstoorevenwhatpoliticianwearereferringtoinsomesituations.Thatwayreaderscouldhavetheexperienceofunderstandinganissueandthepoliticalramifications,butwithoutknowingpartyaffiliation.(Rockey)

Toooftenweletthepoliticiansdrivethenewscycle.Insteadweshouldputpoliticiansinthemiddleofthestory,andinsteadputJaneXatthetopofthestoryandexplainhowshe’sbeingaffectedbythelaw,thefederalprogram,thecorporation–whateveritis.(Bryan)

Insteadofgivingthepoliticiantheleadphoto,let’sgiveaperson,thefaceofthisparticularissue,theleadphoto.(Lichter)

Whatifthepoliticspagehadadifferentpresentationaltone?Whatifthebackpagewasoff‐white?WhatiftherewasanimageofsomethinglikeMountRushmoreinthebanner?(Osborne)

Ifourfocuscanstayonpolicyandonissuesthateveryonehasclaimto,andwediscussedthoseissueswithoutpeggingittooneideologyoranother,thatcankeepbringinginpeoplefromdifferentpointsofviewtoacommonground.(Lichter)

IthinkPoliticoisatitsbestwhenwe’reansweringquestionsthateverybody,bothinsidetheBeltwayandoutside,wanttoknow.(Chan)

Whatifwelookedatpolarizationlikeasportsmetaphor?Peoplefeelfreetotalkaboutsports–theteamstheyfollow,theteamstheyhate.Buttheydon’tdothesamewhenthey’retalkingaboutpolitics,especiallyonsocialmedia.(Carroll)

Ithinkweshouldaskourselves“Whatdopeopleneedtoknow?”Andthenreportonpoliciesandpeopleinawaythatgetstohowthingsareaffectingthem.(Bryan)


2. Engagement

Participantssuggestedwaysofimprovingengagementontheirwebsites.

Whatifwegavereadersapromptthatsaid,“Doyouwanttoseeanopposingpointofview?”Nowiftheyreallywanttoseetheopposingviewornotisaninterestingquestion.Butaskingsomeofthosequestionsandcreatingaframeisimportant.(Kellett)

Ifwecouldtweakthingsinthecommentsection,likeelevatinga“topcomment,”thenmaybewecouldshowthoughtfuldiscoursebyamemberofthecommunity.(Osborne)

Canweasjournalistsfindawaytospeakhonestlyaboutwhatwedoandthenleadtheconversationinthecomments?(Lavin)

I’mcurioustoseewhatwouldhappenifwehadfactcheckerwhowouldseewhatwaswritteninthecommentsection,andthenwriteaseparatearticlethatexplainedwhathappenedinthecommentsandshowedbothsidesofthediscussion.(TurkTolub)

Couldweinvitemorepeopletowriteupcolumnswhoareconservativeorliberal‐leaning?(Lavin)

Maybeyouhaveareallyhottopicstoryandthenyouhaveakittenphotogalleryintherightrail.It’snotrelated,butmaybereaderswantalittledessertwiththeirvegetables.Ifyouputthosetwothingssidebyside,perhapsthatcouldhelpincreaseengagementwiththatstory.(Osborne)

3. Socialmedia

Socialmediacameupasawaytoconnectwithreadersandhelpthembetterunderstandwhatthey’reseeingonline.

Whatifwecouldbuildsomethingthatallowspeopletogiveusentryintotheirpersonalsocialmediaworld,andwecouldshowthem,basedonwhattheypostandwhattheirfriends’post,wheretheyrateonthepolarizationscale?(Olmstead)

Iwonderifthereisawaywecanserveupthesmartestdisagreementstothecontentweareproviding.Isitassimpleassaying“FollowthesefivepeopleonTwitterwhohaveveryopposingviewstothistopic?”(Rockey)

PeoplecouldsubmitthelatestpoliticalmemesthatshowedupintheirFacebookfeed,andwecouldshowthemhowaccuratethatmemeis.(Olmstead)

4. Newsvs.Opinion

Discussionaroseaboutdistinguishingbetweennewsarticlesandopinionpieces.

Whatwe’veseenisthatreadersdon’talwaysknow,orcare,whataboutdifferencebetweennewsandopinion.SoI’mwonderingifwewanttoembarkdownaroadthatteachesreadersovertimewhatisopinionandwhatisfact.(Kellett)

Wehavebeenthinkingofdoingareader’sguidethatclearlystateswhatanopinionpieceisandwhatisanewsarticle.(Lavin)

Wefacethechallengewherepeoplecan’ttellthedifference,ordon’treactdifferently,betweenanewsarticleandanopinionpiece.Ifthey’reagainstsomethingthat’smentionedinanewsarticle,they’regoingtocomeoutprettyfiercelyinthecommentssection.(TurkTolub)


QuestionsFacingDigitalNewsrooms

Enrique Lavin, NJ Advance Media, shares an idea with the other workshop participants.

Participantsthoughtaloudaboutwhattheywantedtoknowandthechallengesandopportunitiesfacingdigitalnewsrooms.

1. Metrics

Participantswantedtoknowmoreaboutsitevisitorbehaviorandtheimpactofjournalism.Theyalsocravedcomparativemetrics.

Internalmetrics

Weactuallydon’tknowalotaboutwheretrafficcomefrom,butwefrequentlycitethesetrafficnumbersandbasedecisionsonthem.(Kellett)

CommenterbehaviorissomethingIwouldbeinterestedinlearningmoreabout.Whatisthecatalystforsomeonetakingthatstepfrombeingaregularusertoacommenter?(Olmstead)

ThequestionIwouldlikeansweredishowdowefitintopeople’slives?Ithinkthatnoone’ssatisfiedwithanyoftheuserexperiencesthatareavailable.Andpeople’sreadingandviewingandlisteninghabitsarechangingallthetime,sohowdowefitintothat?(Bryan)

Wedon’treallyknowhowtomeasuretheimpactofjournalism,andthat’ssomethingthatwouldbeofinteresttous.Wecancertainlymeasurelotsofthingsaboutthecontentweproduce,buttheimpactisnotoneofthem.(Olmstead)

Comparativemetrics

Wecanlookatournumbersinternallyandnotknowwhattheymeanindustry‐wide.Soit’dbegreattolookatTheDenverPostandsay,“Oh,ournumbersarehere.Yournumbersarethere.Howareyournumbersgoodandminebad?”(Osborne)


Alotoftimeswhennationalstoriesdon’tdowellonourpage,I’llseewhatsimilarlysizedpapersaredoingjustsoIknowI’mintheballpark.Togetthattypeofinsightfromothernewsorganizationswouldbefascinating.(TurkTolub)

I’dlovetohavemoretransparentcomparativemetricsacrosstheindustrytobetterunderstandwherewestandwithotherorganizations,becauseIthinkweshouldalllearnfromeachother.Idon’tknowwhywehaveanythingtohide.(Bryan)

2. Workflow

Figuringouthowtointegratedigitalneedsandmaximizeemployeeskillsetsaroseasimportantconcerns.

Intermsofworkflowandintermsofchangingnewsrooms,onechallengeIthinkaboutalotiscultivatingtalentandintegratingskillsets.Iliketheideaofhavinganorganizedwaytomakesurewe’reusingeveryone’stalents,andthateverybody’splayingatthetopoftheirgame.Wehavethismassive1,800‐personnewsroom,andhowtomakesurewe’regettingeverybodytousetheirtalentsinthebestpossiblewayisabigchallenge.(Lichter)

Iwanttocreateabaseballcardforthewritersthatbrokedowntheirstats,includingalltheirdifferentengagementstatsandoutputstats.Ithinkthatmostnewsroomemployeesarecompetitivebynatureandwhentheyseetheir"numbers,"theywillbeinclinedtotrytotoptheirpreviousbests.(Osborne)

We’reatourbestwhenourreportersareoutthereinthefield.SohowdoIgetfromthemwhatIneedtoshareontheweb?(Clarke)

Arewegettingthemostoutofourpeopleandaretheyhappywithhowthey’reperforming,oristhereawaytomixthingsupsothatwhenthey’reattheirbest,evenifit’snot100%,it’sbetter?(Osborne)

3. Mobile/Apps

Manywantedtoknowmoreaboutcateringtoagrowingmobileaudience.

Wecontinuetorampupourmobileefforts,andcertainlycustomizingfordifferentplatformsisoneofourtopgoals.(Chan)

Iwanttoknowhowdifferentlydomobileanddesktopusersengageandbehaveonthesite.Whatarethebehaviorsthataredifferentbetweenthetwogroups,andhowdifferentdotheyneedtobe?(Rockey)

Mobilewebisskyrocketing,especiallyduringtheday.(Chan)

We’remakingabigpushtomakemobilefirst.(Lichter)

WithpostingbreakingnewsonTwitter,mobileiskingbecausepeopleseeaTweetandclickonthelinktothestory.Forbreakingnews,iftheywantmore,theygotoourmobilesite.(Clarke)

Ourmobilesiteisresponsibleforabout45%ofourtrafficrightnow,andourapptrafficismaybe1to2%.Butappusersconsumeabout10timesasmuchcontentasthepeopleonthemobilesite.(TurkTolub)


Overalldigitalreadershipisdominatedbythewebsite.Butourindividualappusersreadmoreperperson.Theyviewcloseto20storiespermonth,whileWebusersviewabouttwostoriespermonth.(Bryan) Sixtypercentofourtrafficcomesfrommobile,butwehaven’tfoundawaytoservethemobileaudiencebeyondwhatwealreadyhaveintermsoftheadventofdoingmobileresponsivewebdesign.(Lavin)

We’regrowing,butwestillhaveasmallstaffandseveralteamsshareresponsibilityformobile.(Chan)

4. Technology

Keepingpacewithtechnologicalchangeandusingittomaximizejournalismwasathemeresonatingthroughouttheworkshop.

Howcanweuseemergingtechnologiestohelppeoplebetterunderstandwhat’sactuallyhappeningduringimportantstoriesandthereforechangethelevelofcivilandcivicengagement?Forinstance,whenFerguson,Missouribroke,nobodyreallyunderstoodwhatwasgoingon.Whatif,byusingnewtechnologies,youcouldvirtuallyputmetheresoIcouldseewhatitwouldbeliketobethere,soIcouldlookinfrontofandbehindmeandfeelthattension?Oryoucoulddiscussglobalwarmingbyshowingthefloodingthatislikelytohappen.(Carroll)

Weteachourstaffasmuchaswecantobefluentdigitalreporters,andthenanotherroundoftoolscomearound.Thedigitalteamistaskedwithtestingthesethings,sowe’retestingandreportersadoptothertoolsanditallbecomesalittleproblematic–whenisalltheexperimentationgoingtoend?(Lavin)

Itwouldbegreatifwehadaplacewherewecouldgoto,likethejournalismtoolboxonemergingtechnologies,andbeabletofeellikewecankeepupandkeepourstafftrained.(Lavin)


DigitalInnovationfromEachOrganization

Workshop participants shared a digital innovation from their organization.

Barry Osborne shared how The Denver Post is using Trendsmap, which shows, on a map, how popular a topic is on Twitter. The map works by showing dots that expand and contract over time to indicate the frequency with which terms are used on Twitter. Osborne described that when the Denver Broncos released their punter earlier this year, The Denver Post used Trendsmap to display how popular the story was nationally and locally. The newspaper is now looking at ways to embed Trendsmap into their daily content.

A unique project Ben Turk Tolub described was Philly.com’s Project Liberty, which selects three to five startups to move into the Philly.com building every six months. The startups are invited to use the newsroom’s resources. For Philly.com, Project Liberty is a way to meet innovative entrepreneurs in the Philadelphia area, and to learn from their new ideas.

In the summer of 2014, Gannett Digital and the Des Moines Register experimented with the Oculus Rift, a 360 degree headset that gives the user the feeling of being transported to a different location. Jennifer Carroll said that for its experiment, the Register incorporated the virtual experience with its “Harvest of Change” series, which looked at how demographic and economic changes are affecting Iowa farm families.

Enrique Lavin shared NJ.com’s “Together New Jersey,” a project aimed at reaching out to the community in Northern New Jersey and engaging with residents to touch on topics like climate change, housing, quality of life, and transportation. The newspaper published 30 posts related to residents’ responses, with some leading to individual articles.

For the NPR newsroom, Wright Bryan and his team developed an analytics dashboard that shares the organization’s traffic data, including the day’s top 50 stories and top online referrers. Using that data, editors and reporters can gain a better idea of how to best connect with readers and listeners.

For the 2014 general election, Politico’s Megan Chan faced a dilemma – how do you present live results in a way that makes sense for someone who doesn’t follow politics, while also serving your core audience who is very knowledgeable? For Politico, it was about providing clean data while also allowing users to find background information on each race, including primary results. The site also made it easy to share election results on Twitter by generating automatic tweets based on the results.

To give its audience more control over how they watch CNN, the network created CNNgo, a digital viewing experience that combines CNN’s live broadcast with extra features. Rachel Clarke explained that with CNNgo, viewers can watch CNN live, as well as pause, rewind, or fast forward through content from the past 24 hours. CNNgo also features exclusive content. CNNgo can be used online or downloaded to the iPad.

The Wall Street Journal, Todd Olmstead and Allison Lichter shared, has been experimenting with digital‐only projects. The newsroom created an interactive infographic about the European Central Bank’s stress tests which yielded an average time on page of 10 minutes. The duo also shared some of the Journal’s successes on Facebook, including targeting a specific audience. For example, when the newspaper wrote a post asking their audience in Egypt about the country’s elections, it received about 7,000 shares. The organization also has a vibrant Facebook‐based book club for interested readers.


Being a young organization, Vox is in a unique position to experiment with content and newsroom structure, said Allison Rockey. One thing that got the website a lot of attention was their 4‐step quiz, “Do You Have Ebola?” The quiz was a simple, fun way to share important information about the Ebola crisis, and it ended up getting 58,000 shares on Facebook.

The digital innovation Ryan Kellett described started with a question – for a big story that will get thousands of comments, how can we make those comments useful? For a story on the Supreme Court’s ruling on gay marriage, The Washington Post asked readers the question, “Why does this matter to you?” gave people five options from which to choose, and allowed them to choose multiple options and leave a comment. The paper then organized the comments into a Venn diagram that showed the most popular viewpoints and where viewpoints overlapped.


WorkshopParticipants

WrightBryanisco‐leadofNPR’sSocialMediaDesk.Withnearly20yearsindigitalnewsrooms,includingthelastnineatNPR,Bryan’sexperienceasawriter,producerandaward‐winningeditorunderpinshisinnovativeworkonjournalism’ssocialfrontier.OnadailybasishehelpsconnectNPR'sjournalistswiththeaudience,peersandsourcesincommunitiessuchasFacebook,Twitterandreddit.

JenniferCarrollspearheadsadvocacyfordigitalmediaplatformsincludingdesktop,iPhone,AndroidandtabletacrossGannett’svastcontentnetworkofnewspapersandBroadcaststations.ShehashadseveralroleswithGannettDigitalandalsoservedasVP/NewMediaContentinGannett’sNewspaperDivision.ShehelpedconceiveandlaunchGannett’sInformationCentermodel,whichtransformedthewaynewsroomsgatheranddisseminatenewsandinformationtoengagecommunitiesdigitally.ShehadtopeditingrolesincludingmanagingeditoroftheLansingStateJournalandTheDetroitNews,andwasexecutiveeditorofTheBurlington(VT)FreePress.ShebeganhercareerasareporterfortheTimesHeraldinPortHuron.CarrollwasnamedGannett’sCorporateStafferoftheYear,andwasaco‐winneroftheChairman’sSpecialAchievementAward.Shereceivedherbachelor’sdegreeanddidmaster’sworkatMichiganStateUniversity.

MeganH.ChanisdirectorofdigitalproductsatPOLITICO,whereshefocusesondigitaldevelopmentfortheWebandmobile.Previously,shewastheonlineWashingtoneditoratUSATODAY.ShehasalsoworkedforTheWallStreetJournalEuropeinBrussels,NewsdayandtheStar‐Tribune.MegangraduatedfromtheUniversityofSouthernCaliforniawithaB.A.inprintjournalismandaminorinEastAsianStudies.ShealsoholdsM.S.andM.A.degreesfromtheColumbiaUniversitySchoolofJournalism,withaspecialtyinartsandculture.

WrightBryanSocialMediaDesk,NPR

JenniferCarrollVicePresident,DigitalOutreach,GannettDigital

MeganChanDirectorofDigitalProducts,Politico


RachelClarkeisaSeniorEditorforCNNDigital,partoftheteamthatchartsthecourseforbreakingnewsandfeaturesacrossdigitalplatformsandapps.SheworkswithstaffersfromalloverCNNaswellasdedicateddigitalwritersandmultimediaproducerstomakesureCNNsharesbreakingnewsandcompellingstorieswithitsmassiveworldwidedigitalaudience.Rightnow,she’sworkingwiththeLifestyle,Entertainment,TravelandHealthdigitalteamsonnewwaystotellandsharestories,harnessingtechnologyandwritingtocreatethemostcompellingcontent.Aswellasworkingondailynewscoverage,ClarkeisaleadeditorialvoiceonspecialfeaturessuchasbringingtheWorldCuptoaU.S.audienceandtechnicalprojects.Thesehaveincludedbringinginanewproductionsystemforallourdigitaljournalistsandworkingtointroducenewtemplatestodisplaystorieswithtext,video,interactivesandmore.TheweirdaccentcomesfromgrowingupinEngland,workingforthreeyearsinWales,theneightinHongKongandnownineinAtlanta.

RyanKellettistheAudienceandEngagementEditoratTheWashingtonPost.Histeamisresponsibleforsocialmedia,search,andon‐siteengagementplatforms.HealsooverseesfortheGeneralAssignmentNewsDesk.RyanjoinedThePostin2010andledthenewsroom’sElection2012onlinecoverageastheNationalDigitalEditor.BornandraisedinSanFranciscoproper,RyanishappytocommiseratewithanyoneexiledfromtheBayArea.HeisagraduateofMiddleburyCollegeinidyllicVermont.Ifyou’dliketohearabouttheValentine’sDayblizzardof2007,justask.PriortojoiningThePost,RyanspenttimecoveringtheBeijingOlympicsandstudyinginHangzhou,China.HewasalsoNPR’sfirst‐eversocialmediainternduringthewildwestdaysofsocialmedia.Ifyou’reinterestedand/orboredtotears,Ryanwouldliketodiscussacappella,localfoodsystems,andAndroidphoneswithyou.

EnriqueLavinistheCommunityEngagementSpecialistleadatthenewlyformedNJAdvanceMedia,whichprovidescontenttoNJ.comandTheStar‐Ledger.Asthenewsroom’sengagementlead,Enriquehelpsshapeandexecuteaudiencegrowthstrategiesonthewebsite,workingwithateamofengagementspecialistsinsports,entertainmentandlocalnews.Enriqueoverseesengagementopportunitiesforpolitics,opinion,stateandenterprisereporters.Beforebeingtappedasthenewspaper’sfirstengagementdirectorin2012,EnriquewastheAssistantManagingEditorfor

RachelClarkeSeniorEditor,CNNDigital,CNN

RyanKellettAudienceandEngagementEditor,TheWashingtonPost

EnriqueLavinCommunityEngagementLead,NJAdvanceMedia


Features,wherehemanagedstaffcoverageofA&Eandfeatures.AskhimabouttheMunchmobile(avanwithahotdogonitsroof!)andthebookheedited:"JerseyEats:TheUltimateGuidetoRoadsideFood."Nearlyadecadeearlier,EnriquewasthefoundingeditorofNuestraComunidad,Gannett’sfirstSpanish‐languageweeklynewspaperinNewJersey.Previously,Enriquewasamusicwriterforvariouspublications,gettingstoriesfromthecross‐culturalmoshpitsoftheLatinrockmusicscene.HegothisstartasareporterattheLosAngelesTimes,coveringcommunitynewsandlaterLatinpopculture.HelivesinCranford,N.J.,wherehe’shappilymarriedraisingtwokids.

AllisonLichtercurrentlyheadsuptheWallStreetJournal'ssocialmediateam,whichworkswithWSJeditorsandreportersaroundtheworld,conductingtrainingsontheuseofsocialmediafornewsgathering,promotingcontent,buildingcommunitiesandengagingwithreaders.ShehasbeenaleaderintheintegrationofthedigitalandprintoperationsoftheJournal:asadigitaleditorontheJournal'sfeaturescoverage,shehelpedlaunchnewonlinelifestylesectionsandhasbeenaneditorontheJournal'scareersandmanagementcoverageareas.PriortojoiningtheJournal,shewasthecultureeditoratNewYorkPublicRadio/WNYC.org,NPR'slargestaffiliate,wheresheledateamofreporters,criticsandproducersinartsnewscoverage,creatednewpathsforaudienceinvolvement,andlaunchedanewwebsitedevotedtotheculturallifeofNewYork.ShewasafoundingproducerofWNYC'sSoundcheck,amusicandartstalkshow.

ToddOlmsteadisCommunityEditorattheWallStreetJournal.Inhisroleheoverseescommentsacrosswsj.com,managessocialmedia,andworksonavarietyofreaderengagementinitiatives.BeforecomingtotheJournal,hewasacommunitymanageratMashable,wherehehelpedestablishthesocialmediastrategy.Heholdsamaster'sdegreeindigitaljournalismfromNYU,wherehestudiedinnovationinnews,andabachelor'sfromColbyCollege.HealsowritesaboutmusicandtechnologyandcanoftenbefoundwatchingNBAbasketballfromNovembertoJune.

Barry'sfirstdayasadenverpost.comstaffercoincidedwiththeinfamous"BalloonBoy"hoaxthatgrabbednationalattention.Itwastheperfectintroductiontoajobthatplaceshimatthecenterofthenewsroomwherecontentanddigitaldeliverymeet.Focusedmainlyonbreakingnewsandmaintenanceofthehomepage,BarryispartofthenewsroomstaffthathelpedtheDenverPostwin

AllisonLichterSocialMediaEditor,TheWallStreetJournal

ToddOlmsteadCommunityEditor,TheWallStreetJournal

BarryOsborneOnlineNewsDirector,TheDenverPost


the2013PulitzerPrizeforBreakingNewsReportingforcoverageoftheJuly2012Auroratheatershootings.Denverpost.com'scurrentfocusistodeliverthestrongestColoradobreaking,politics,sportsandfeaturesnewsacrossmultipledigitalplatformsincludingsocialandmobileapps.Thenewsroomisalsocurrentlyfocusedondeliveringstaff‐createdvideocontentacrossalloftheseplatforms.BarrystartedatTheDenverPostinSeptember,2005asamemberoftheresearchlibrarystaff.

AllisonRockeyistheengagementeditoratVox.com.Sheworkswiththejournaliststocreatecontentthatissuccessfulonsocial.Thatrangesfromsharingsocialmediabestpracticesacrossthestafftoone‐on‐onerefinementofstoriesandbeats.ShealsooverseestheVoxsocialchannelsandcommunityengagementonthesite.PriortoVox,AllisonwasthedirectorofsocialmediaatBlueStateDigital.Inhernearly5yearsatBSDAllisoncreateddigitalfundraisingandengagementcampaignsfornonprofits,brands,andadvocacyorganizationsrangingfromtheAmericanRedCrosstoFordMotorCompanyandtheGreenBayPackers.

BenTurkTolubhasbeenbuildingandmanagingwebsitesfor20years.HespenthisearlyInternetyearsworkingatSotheby’s,the270‐year‐oldauctionhouse,wherehepitchedandmanagedthelaunchoftheirfirstwebsitein1994.In1999,heoversawtheuserexperienceofthecompany’sonlineauctionwebsite.Later,heco‐foundediGavel.com—oneofthefirst“onlineonly”auctionsites—whereheservedasvicepresident.HewasfeaturedinBusinessWeek’s“TakingOff”series.CurrentlyemployedbythePhiladelphiaMediaNetwork,BenisthedirectorofproductforPhilly.com.Since2010,he’ssurvivedfourdifferentownershipgroups—andfourdifferentdigitalstrategies.Duringhistenure,Philly.comhasgrowninlocalaudiencewhilehisproductteamhasmorethandoubledrevenuebetween2013and2014.BenliveswithhiswifeandthreechildreninWynnewood,PA.

AllisonRockeyEngagementEditor,Vox.com

BenTurkTolubDirectorofProduct,Philly.com


WorkshopGuests&Staff

JonathanKarttOfficerforProgramsandEvaluation,RitaAllenFoundationJonathanKarttistheofficerforprogramsandevaluationattheRitaAllenFoundation,whichsupportsworkinthefieldsofUScivicliteracyandengagementandbiomedicalresearch.Previously,attheBridgespanGroupheadvisedlargeandsmallfoundationsandnonprofitsintheinternationaldevelopment,USdemocracy,humanrights,andotherfields.PriortoBridgespan,JonathanworkedatFundaciónAVINAinSanJose,CostaRica,inprivatesectordevelopmentattheWorldBank/InternationalFinanceCorporation,andasafor‐profitstrategyconsultantfocusingonlifesciencesandenergy.JonathanalsoservesontheBoardofDirectorsoftheMagnumPhotographyFoundation.HestudiedatDartmouthCollegeandatJohnsHopkinsSchoolofAdvancedInternationalStudies(SAIS)inBologna,ItalyandWashington,D.C.

AlexQuinnExecutiveDirector,e.thePeopleAlexjoinede.thePeopleinJuly2013.Alexhasmorethan25yearsofexperienceineducationalandcommunity‐basedmediadevelopment.Priortojoininge.thePeople,AlexdirectedseveralmediaprojectsatEducationDevelopmentCenteraimedatimprovingliteracy,numeracy,andbasicscienceunderstandingamongundereducatedadults.QuinnwastheexecutivedirectoratGamesforChange—anorganizationdedicatedtopromotingthedevelopmentofdigitalgamesaddressingsocialissues—andalsoservedasexecutivedirectorforcommunitymediacentersinOregonandNewYork.

MelissaHuebschBusinessServices,TheAnnetteStraussInstituteforCivicLifeMelissaHuebschisthefull‐timeaccountantandpurchaserfortheAnnetteStraussInstitute,andmanagesresearchgrants.Shehasalsoprovidedadministrativesupport,eventplanningandcoordinationexpertise,aswellasphotographyanddesignskillstotheInstitutesince2003.MelissastudiedHistoryandVocalPerformanceattheUniversityofTexas,butfollowspoliticspassionately.


Natalie(Talia)JominiStroud

AssociateProfessor,CommunicationStudiesDirector,EngagingNewsProjectUniversityofTexasatAustin

Dr.Natalie(Talia)JominiStroudistheDirectoroftheEngagingNewsProjectattheAnnetteStraussInstituteforCivicLifeandanAssociateProfessorintheDepartmentofCommunicationStudiesattheUniversityofTexasatAustin.SheistheauthorofNicheNews:ThePoliticsofNewsChoice(Oxford,2011),whichreceivedthe2012OutstandingBookAwardfromtheInternationalCommunicationAssociation.Herresearchonpeople’spreferencesforlikemindedpoliticalinformationledhertodeveloptheEngagingNewsProject.Theprojectisdedicatedtoencouragingopen‐mindedengagementwithpoliticsthroughthenewsmedia.StroudpreviouslyworkedattheAnnenbergPublicPolicyCenter;thenameofthisprojectisaHTtoKathleenHallJamieson’s“E4″workwithlocaltelevisionnewsoutletsduringthe2002midtermelections.

KatieSteinerCommunicationAssociate,EngagingNewsProjectKatieSteineristheCommunicationAssociatefortheEngagingNewsProject.Sheassistswithallcommunicationsandoutreachfortheproject.ShepreviouslyworkedasareporterforTheSanDiegoUnion‐Tribune,TheBakersfieldCalifornianandtheDailyNebraskan.Shehasalsoworkedincorporatecommunicationsandpublicrelations.Katieearnedherbachelor’sdegreeinNews/EditorialandEnglishfromtheUniversityofNebraska‐Lincoln,andispursuingamaster’sdegreeinJournalism–PublicRelationsfromKentStateUniversity.

AlexCurryDoctoralStudent,CommunicationStudiesResearchAssociate,EngagingNewsProjectUniversityofTexasatAustinAlexCurryisadoctoralstudentincommunicationstudiesandanAssistantInstructorattheUniversityofTexasatAustin.Hisresearchinterestsincludepoliticalcommunication,newsonmobiledevices,andcivicengagement,andheisparticularlyinterestedinhowpoliticiansusetheirownpersonalinvolvementwithsportsasawaytoconnectwithvoters.PriortocomingtoTexas,AlexattendedBrighamYoungUniversity,andfrom2005to2010,heservedasawriterforGovernorArnoldSchwarzenegger.Whenhe’snotstudying,Alexenjoyshikingwithhiswifeandfourchildren.


CynthiaPeacockDoctoralStudent,CommunicationStudiesResearchAssociate,EngagingNewsProjectUniversityofTexasatAustinCynthiaPeacock(MA,UniversityofAlabamaatBirmingham)isadoctoralstudentinthedepartmentofCommunicationStudiesattheUniversityofTexasatAustin.Sheisinterestedinpoliticalcommunication,media,andcivicengagement.Cynthiaiscurrentlyresearchingthewaysinwhichpeopleexpress—andavoidexpressing—theirpoliticalopinions.

Documents

Engaging News Project News Engagement Workshop Report2