Analytics in the newsroom - an introduction to the issues
Channel: onlinejournalist
Date: 16/11/2017

This video is for first year undergraduate students in Birmingham City University's School of Media. Links to research mentioned in this video:
Caitlin Petre's 2015 research: https://towcenter.org/research/traffic-factories/
Cherubini and Nielsen's 2016 research: http://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/research/files/Editorial%2520analytics%2520-%2520how%2520news%2520media%2520are%2520developing%2520and%2520using%2520audience%2520data%2520and%2520metrics.pdf

Outline of the video:

1a. What is analytics?
• Analytics is the measurement of audiences and their behaviour. 
• We’ve always had them – ratings, circulation, surveys
• Now in real time, and at scale/accuracy, from a range of agencies: Facebook, Twitter, Chartbeat, Google Analytics
• Analytics tools now also allow us to measure different things – these are called ‘metrics’.

1b. Why is analytics important?
• Common to be displayed in newsroom, sent in regular emails, and discussed in news conference when deciding what stories to pursue that day
• Used to price and sell advertising
• Broader ‘trends’ tools (Google Trends, trending topics) used to identify potential stories or language
• “what gets measured gets managed”

2. Debates surrounding analytics
• Targets have been set for journalists, or bonuses been awarded on basis of those. But problematic – many factors journalists can’t control.
• Concern over ‘Chasing audiences’
• Can help us understand what works and what doesn’t, bringing important information to an audience. (e.g. liveblogging, visuals, different headlines). Forces journalists to consider audiences, not just other journalists

3. Research into analytics
• Caitlin Petre’s (2015) research for the Tow Center involved conducting ethnographies at the New York Times, Gawker Media, and Chartbeat. She found that it was “not uncommon for journalists to become fixated on metrics that rank them or their stories, even if these are not the sole criteria by which they are evaluated” (Petre 2015), and that busy journalists tended to use metrics in an ad hoc way rather than in relation to strategic journalistic goals.
• Cherubini and Nielsen (2016) looked at a number of newsrooms in different countries and identified a continuum of different forms of analytics used in newsrooms, ranging from rudimentary use of analytics to what they call ‘editorial analytics’. They argue that the most advanced newsrooms use analytics to inform both short and long term strategy, rather than merely chasing numbers.

Conclusion
• Analytics are one factor influencing how journalists choose and tell stories
• Like any tool, they can be used well or badly – much depends on the organisation and individual. The reality is mixed – opportunities and threats
• Use of analytics will become more complex, particularly as AI takes a bigger role in automating certain editorial decisions. That’s the next big area of research.