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Striking a Balance Between Community Journalism and

Citizen Participation: A Research Study

Allowing Users To Generate Content Base: Total Respondents (3,010)

Users Survey - Allowing User-Generated Content Q4. Do you think the public should be allowed to participate on a newspaper's website such as posting comments on stories, articles, opinions, photos, videos, reviews or blogs?

The vast majority of respondents say the public should be allowed to participate on a newspaper’s website such as posting comments on stories, opinions, submitting photos and/or videos, providing reviews or blogs. It’s important to point out that each of these respondents is an Internet user who uses a newspaper website at least once a month. Most respondents (73%) visit a newspaper website at least weekly.

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How Should Users Contribute Base: Respondents Who Believe The Public Should Be Allowed To Participate On Newspaper’s Websites (2,689)

Users Survey - Allowing User-Generated Content Q5. Please check each of the following ways you think users should be allowed to participate on a newspaper’s website. (Check all that apply.)

Respondents make some distinctions in the type of user-generated information they think should be used on newspaper websites. They want to share their opinions. Significant percentages say users should be allowed to provide comments on stories written by reporters, post opinions, participate in forum discussions and post restaurant reviews. About half say they should be allowed to submit stories they’ve written and post information about breaking news events. There is less support for submitting photos, blogs and videos.

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Provide comments on stories created by reporters

Post opinions

Participate in forum discussions

Post restaurant reviews

Submit stories they’ve written

Post information about breaking news events

Post videos

Other

Write blogs

Post photos

Contribute to youth sports coverage There were no

significant age differences

in responses

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Primary Benefits Of Allowing User Participation Base: Participants Who Think The Public Should Be Allowed To Participate Or Are Not Sure (2,689)

Users Survey - Allowing User-Generated Content Q8. What do you think are the primary benefits for allowing users of newspaper websites to contribute content online such as commenting on stories, posting articles, photos, videos and/or opinions online and submitting blogs? (Please be specific.)

Providing a more diverse point of view along with free expression are the major benefits respondents cite for allowing users to contribute online. Some also say users can contribute information to evolving or breaking stories.

Diversity of opinions/points of view

Freedom of speech/expression

Additional information to incomplete/emerging stories

Encourages participation/ involvement from citizens

Combats bias with variety of information

Public perspective

None/no opinion

Not Sure

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Importance of Labeling Staff and User Content Base: Total Respondents (3,010)

Users Survey - Managing User-Generated Content Q11. How important is it that a newspaper website identify or label which content is created by the professional news staff and which content is submitted by citizen users of the website?

The vast majority of newspaper website users say it’s important that a newspaper identify or label which content is created by the professional news staff and which is submitted by users. Seven in 10 (70%) say this is extremely important. (However, as shown later, a majority of respondents also say they can tell the difference between stories written by the citizen contributors and the professional staff.)

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EXTREMELY IMPORTANT 5

3

NOT IMPORTANT AT ALL 1

NOT SURE

4

2

5

Attitudes Toward User-Generated Content Base: Total Respondents (3,010)

Users Survey - Managing User-Generated Content Q16. How much do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements using a scale of 5 to 1 where 5 means strongly agree and 1 means strongly disagree and using any number in between?

The vast majority of users say citizens should be required to register on a newspaper website before posting information, that newspapers are responsible for their online content whether produced by the staff or user generated and that a user should be required to use his or her real name when posting .

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Citizens submitting information to a newspaper’s website should be required to register as a user

of the site before being able to post

Newspapers are responsible for the content on their websites regardless

if the information is created by its professional news staff or submitted

by average citizens

Citizens submitting information to a newspaper’s website should be required to use their real names

when posting

The poster’s real name should be shown along with his or her

submission

(Table Continues)

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Attitudes Toward User-Generated Content, continued Base: Total Respondents (3,010)

Users Survey - Managing User-Generated Content Q16. How much do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements using a scale of 5 to 1 where 5 means strongly agree and 1 means strongly disagree and using any number in between?

While still a minority, a significant percentage of respondents (34%) say they are more likely to use a newspaper’s website if they comment on stories or post content.

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Average citizens arriving at the scenes of breaking news should be allowed

to post photos and provide accounts of the story directly to the newspapers’

website so information is available more quickly

The posting should include the first name only; the last name is not

necessary

I am more likely to use a newspaper’s website if users can comment on

stories on it or post content

I am willing to accept some inaccuracies in a story to get more

timely information from average citizens at a news scene

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Expectations For Accessing Breaking News Base: Total Respondents (3,010)

Users Survey - Managing User-Generated Content Q17. When breaking news, such as a major crime, accident, fire, etc. occurs in your community, how quickly do you expect that information to appear on your local newspaper’s website: (Please check one)

Newspaper website users have high expectations when it comes to breaking news. One in five expects such news as major crimes, accidents and fires, to appear on their local newspaper website within 15 minutes after they occur. Taken cumulatively, 45 percent want this information within a half hour and 76 percent within one hour.

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Within 15 minutes

Within one hour

Within a day

Not Sure

Within 30 minutes

Within four hours

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Credibility of Citizen News Coverage Base: Total Respondents (3,010)

User Content And Newspaper Credibility Q19. How credible would you consider information provided by an average citizen at a news scene using a scale of 5 to 1 where 5 means very credible and 1 means not credible at all and using any number in between?

Users are also split as to the credibility of information provided by average citizens at a news scene. Just under one in five respondents (18%) say this information is credible (a “5” or “4” rating on the 5-point scale used for this question). A slightly larger percentage (27%) say it’s not credible (a “1” or “2” rating). However, the vast majority (52%) are somewhere in between. There are no major differences between age and income groups.

EXTREMELY CREDIBLE 5

3

NOT CREDIBLE AT ALL 1

NOT SURE

4

2

PERCENT CITING EACH AS CREDIBLE (“5” or “4” rating)

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Most Websites Have “Rules” Base: Total Respondents (3,010)

Users Survey - Regulating User Content Q42. Do the websites you use post suggestions or “Rules of Engagement” to help regulate behavior by citizen users who post content including story comments, articles, opinions, photos, videos, blogs, etc.?

Most users say websites do post suggestions or “Rules of Engagement” to help regulate behavior by users. One in three, however, aren’t sure. Users who posted content on newspaper websites are slightly more likely than average to say the websites they use have suggestions or “Rules of Engagement.” Older users are least likely.

PERCENT WHO HAVE “RULES”

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How To Police User Comments Base: Total Respondents (3,010)

Regulating User Content Q40. How should newspapers deal with users who post inappropriate, vulgar or hateful comments on their websites? (Please check all that apply.)

Almost six in 10 respondents say the newspaper should immediately terminate the users’ ability to post on the website. Four in 10 (40%) suggest a single warning. There is also support for an online mechanism to report inappropriate content.

Immediately terminate the users’ ability to post content

Offer an online mechanism for users to report inappropriate content

Let the community of users police inappropriate content themselves instead of

the newspaper staff doing it

None

Issue a warning and terminate the users’ ability to post after a second incident

Temporarily suspend the users’ ability to post for a specific period of time

Nothing, users should be allowed to post whatever they want

Other

Remove/delete

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The Affect of “Citizen Participation” Base: Total Respondents (3,010)

Users Survey - Managing User-Generated Content Q20. How strongly do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements using a scale of 5 to 1 where 5 means strongly agree and 1 means strongly disagree and using any number in between?

As stated previously, a majority of newspaper website users (56%) agree they can tell the difference between stories written by the newspaper staff and content submitted to a website by average citizens (a “5” or “4” rating on this scale). Smaller percentages agree that a newspaper’s overall journalistic integrity is compromised by allowing citizens to generate content (29%) and that a newspaper’s credibility is compromised (27%). In fact, more users disagree with those statements than agree.

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When looking on a newspaper website I can tell the difference between stories written by the

newspaper staff and content submitted by average citizens

A newspaper's overall journalistic integrity is

compromised if average citizens are allowed to

participate on the newspaper's website

A newspaper's credibility is compromised if average

citizens are allowed to participate on the newspaper's

website

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Standards Higher For Newspaper Websites? Base: Total Respondents (3,010)

Users Survey - Regulating User Content Q44. Some people are concerned about allowing average citizens to post stories, comments, opinions, etc. on newspaper websites saying the public expects higher journalistic standards when visiting a newspaper website. Do you agree or disagree with this concern?

Respondents are somewhat split whether the public expects higher journalistic standards when visiting a newspaper website. While almost half agree (45%), 34 percent disagree and 21 percent aren’t sure.

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Agree

Disagree

Not Sure

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There are few demographic differences in responses. Men are slightly more likely to disagree than women. Curiously, older adults (55+) are slightly more likely to disagree than younger adults (especially 18-34)

Expectations Vary Slightly By Newspaper Size Base: Total Respondents (3,010)

Users Survey - Managing User-Generated Content Q18. Do you think expectations for newspaper websites vary by the size of the newspaper? For example, how acceptable is each of the following, using a scale of 5 to 1 where 5 means very acceptable and 1 means not acceptable at all and using any number in between.

Users have slightly different expectations for large and small newspapers. More than half (59%) say it’s acceptable for smaller community daily or weekly newspaper websites to use user-generated content. A smaller percentage (44%) say that’s acceptable for large metros.

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Citizens contributing comments, photos, opinions,

etc. on smaller community daily or weekly newspaper

websites

Citizens contributing comments, photos, opinions,

etc. on large metropolitan daily newspaper websites

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Free download of the full study at www.snafoundation.org

Susan Karol, Ph.D. Executive Director, SNA Foundation

susan.karol@suburban-news.org

Study funded by a grant from

Study conducted by: 15