Chronotope’s Twitter Archive—№ 113,177

A brief list of things most media companies fail to include in stats-based understandings of their newsrooms when they use "data that tracked reader interest and the output of journalists":
Permalink On twitter.com ♻️ 2 Retweets ❤️ 9 Favorites 2019 Nov 20 Mood -1 🙁

…in reply to @Chronotope
The impact of the following roles (and the individuals in them) in quality and reader engagement: - copy editors - every editor that touches a piece - newsroom leadership - photographer - graphics editors
Permalink On twitter.com ♻️ 1 Retweets ❤️ 13 Favorites 2019 Nov 20 Mood +3 🙂

…in reply to @Chronotope
Few news orgs have filters or pivot tables that consider: - impact of original graphics vs stock - quality of life for working inside the CMS - ad density - engagement with comments - engagement with social media - impact of tone
On twitter.com ❤️ 10 Favorites 2019 Nov 20 Mood +2 🙂

…in reply to @Chronotope
Then there are metrics that don't easily show up: - byline loyalty - engagement due to quality of copy - engagement due to general involvement in the community of reporters - engagement due to highly local ad sales
Permalink On twitter.com ❤️ 6 Favorites 2019 Nov 20 Mood +5 🙂

…in reply to @Chronotope
Writing an article takes a village, and when your journalism is local it takes a village to read it too. But metrics-based approaches often miss the important work that goes into making a single article, because it's hard to associate all the hands that worked it with a metric.
Permalink On twitter.com ♻️ 1 Retweets ❤️ 5 Favorites 2019 Nov 20 Mood -1 🙁

…in reply to @Chronotope
And people don't read a news organization just because of big number pieces, especially not in local. Loyal readers are the ones engaged as much in the small stuff as the big headlines. It's hard to measure that too.
Permalink On twitter.com ♻️ 1 Retweets ❤️ 2 Favorites 2019 Nov 20 Mood +4 🙂

…in reply to @Chronotope
Measuring on bylines is important as one data element, but it can be like trying to measure the fish population of the ocean based on what you see leaping out of the waves, there's a whole universe of badly needed support down below the surface.
Permalink On twitter.com 2019 Nov 20 Mood +3 🙂

…in reply to @Chronotope
It's not that everything is magic and unmeasurable. It's just that tracking these things takes time, effort, and tools and few put in the work or curiosity when what they're really looking for is an excuse to create "efficiencies".
Permalink On twitter.com ❤️ 3 Favorites 2019 Nov 20 Mood -1 🙁

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