I've seen first-hand the fruits this can bear for editors. Again, this is the kind of harder data that can help drive the decision-making process publishers say they want. The theme these approaches have in common is the increased depth they provide for understanding the relationship between readers and news products. The mistake these approaches avoid is in covering vast territory at a superficial level. But, let me end with a note of caution about the pitfalls I still see newspapers falling victim to.
Research is a process of measuring the match between readers and products.
Newspapers have been struggling with the question of how to change their existing product to be a better match to readers who do not currently fit the product. So, even as research helps newsrooms push deeper into the specifics of the relationship between reader and product, sound decisions are also always a matter of wise judgment. Download a PDF version of this article.