MediaShift . A Newspaper's Role in Bringing the Community Together | PBS - The Diigo Meta page

• 08 Dec 08
  

  Andy Brudtkuhl

  The people formerly known as the readers have now become readers/writers. In the "good old days" of the print newspaper, we only got a few letters each day. Today, we get hundreds and sometimes thousands of comments on our news articles each day. With the click of a button, readers can easily and instantly post reactions to articles. Furthermore, the readers don't only react to our articles -- they react far more often to each others' comments. The article may start a discussion, but it does not necessarily remain the center of attention.

  media newspapers journalism getanewbrowser mediashift

• 02 Dec 08
  

  Alistair Bull
  • The people formerly known as the readers have now become readers/writers. In the "good old days" of the print newspaper, we only got a few letters each day. Today, we get hundreds and sometimes thousands of comments on our news articles each day. With the click of a button, readers can easily and instantly post reactions to articles. Furthermore, the readers don't only react to our articles -- they react far more often to each others' comments. The article may start a discussion, but it does not necessarily remain the center of attention

  • People started posting the article in the comments section of the site, complaining that De Tijd was "giving up" the Fortis coverage. Some suggested the journalists "gave up" after pressure from high places.

    
    
    

    Suddenly, our newspaper found out that it had limited control about what was published on the site: Even if the editorial staff did not run a story, people would do it themselves by posting it in the comments and, more so, add their own conclusions. Suddenly a non-event had become a news story after all.

  • 2 more annotations...
  • • After these incidents, many colleagues now seem to accept that engaging in conversations with the community is an important part of our role as a newspaper. The community appreciates it enormously, and it is also the sensible thing to do in terms of encouraging visitors to spend more time on the website.

    • > Considering inviting community members to be moderators or else outsource moderation duties.

      
      
      

      > Explaining the rules and guidelines for comments clearly and in a positive way.

      
      
      

      > Using well-known symbols to make moderation clearer: We give serious offenders a "yellow card," which means their reactions are no longer published in real time but need prior approval. In extreme cases we give a "red card," banning them. We do not use these cards for someone who only went off-topic, but for people insulting other participants, for instance, or using repeatedly unacceptable language.

      
      
      

      > Buying or developing a system wherein community members can rate comments and filter out those with low marks.

Would you like to comment?

Join Diigo for a free account, or sign in if you are already a member.