Twitter Engagement

Journalists and news organizations primarily use Twitter to broadcast links, and they rarely ask for audience input or retweet others.

A study by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism focused on tweets by top newspapers, broadcasters, websites, and individual journalists.

The key finding is that news organizations use Twitter in limited ways. The main use being linking to their own material.

Ninety-three percent of tweets by news organizations link to their own articles while just two percent asked for audience input, and just one percent where retweets.

Individual journalists had about the same percentage of links and retweets.

Fox News had the most audience interaction on Twitter with 21 percent of tweets seeking feedback and 44 percent retweets.

Fox also increased its followers the most rapidly, maybe because of their Twitter interaction approach.

The New York Times had the least amount of audience interaction on Twitter.

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Dissatisfaction with News Media

The American public is not happy with journalists or the news that they cover, according to a recent survey conducted by Pew Research Center.

Only 25 percent of people say that news organizations are factual within their stories, and 66 percent say that stories are "often inaccurate". This is quite the decline from 2007 when 39 percent said that news mostly got their facts straight, and 53 percent said that stories are inaccurate.

An overwhelming majority of the public also believe that the press is "often influenced by powerful people and organizations" and "tend to favor one side".

Of the 12 evaluation categories of news media, nine equal or surpass record highs in percent of displeased responders, indicating that the public is growing more and more dissatisfied with the media.

There is some good news, though. The public trusts news organizations (especially local news) more than state and federal government, business, and congress. (While I'm not sure that this is really GOOD news, it does make journalists feel a little better!)

Pew Research Center releases an annual report on the public views of the values of news media. They have been performing this survey since 1985.

With all of these negative views on news media, shouldn't we do something about it? One of the main goals of journalism is to provide factual information to the public, something that they are telling us we are not doing.

Joseph Pulitzer, establisher of the coveted Pulitzer Prize, warned of biased media in his journalistic credo:
Our Republic and its press will rise or fall together. An able, disinterested, public-spirited press, with trained intelligence to know the right and courage to do it, can preserve that public virtue without which popular government is a sham and a mockery. A cynical, mercenary, demagogic press will produce in time a people as base as itself. The power to mould the future of the Republic will be in the hands of the journalists of future generations.


Click here for a complete report of Pew Research Center's findings.

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Public Lacks Trust in the Press

Americans don't believe every thing they see, hear or read. According to a Pew Study, citizens have a hard time trusting the press.

The poll reported "66% say news stories often are inaccurate, 77% think that news organizations tend to favor one side, and 80% say news organizations are often influenced by powerful people and organizations."

Although these figures may seem abysmal, the public trusts the press more than government and business, and "62% say their main news sources get the facts straight."

Because the press is supposed to be the trusted source of information. It's watchdog reputation means that Americans should be able to rely on the news to tell the truth in regards to government, business, and any facet of life.

All journalists should take note of these statistics. Personally, this reinforces my belief in double- and triple-checking facts and interviews because our readers and viewers shouldn't have to question our credibility or motivations.

Our job is to report.

It should be that simple. Ask questions. Write down the answers. Report the facts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzf7fT8-g-s

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Apple is Number One

When it comes to marketing, there are certain companies that not only do it well, but they do it best. Apple, ranked No. 20 on the Interbrand Best Global Brands in 2009 and 17th in 2010, has always risen to the occasion when launching a new product. There's always a fascination with the company, when they speak, the world listens.

Last week, Apple unveiled the much awaited arrival of their second generation iPad, the iPad 2. The second generation will be available this Friday. It offers a completely new thinner design, faster processor and includes two new applications: iMovie and GarageBand. The selling point for this product has to be the price, $499.

In a recent study conducted by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism found that Apple grabs more headlines than any other technology company. Apple is great at marketing because it uses a few key strategies.

1. They're everywhere - Apple plants its brand everywhere: posters, billboards, television commercials, etc... Their commercials are fun to watch and invite individuals to experience the Apple lifestyle while giving the impression that if you buy one, you're part of an exclusive group and people thrive on this idea.

2. They understand the importance of reviews - When people hear good reviews about products, they want to own it themselves. Apple embraces this concept and promotes the positive customer experience.

3. They focus on customer service - Apple is known for inviting the customer into the store and experiencing their products first hand. They have great customer service. You walk into the store and they let you play around with the devices and ask as many questions as you can fathom. They are very knowlegeable which gives the customers security in their choice. With the positive customer experience they have, it will leave them coming back for more.

Photo Credit: CreativeCommons, Robert Scoble.

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"News Grazers" and Finding News Sources

For American consumers online news sites are third on the list for most popular sources of news behind local and national television news according to a new report from PEW Research Center's Internet and American Life Project and the Project for Excellence in Journalism.

Statistics show that around six in 10 American adults get their news online on an ordinary day and around 71 percent of adults receive their news online occasionally. However, national and local print newspapers and radio all fall behind online news.

But the most staggering statistic showed that over 92 percent of Americans receive their daily news from multiple sources. On the other hand only seven percent of Americans get their daily news from a single media source, usually either Internet or local television news.

The term 'News Grazers' refers to the 92 percent of American Adults who find their news from multiple sources. To help along this growing trend Web sites such as Google News, AOL, and Topix have now become the most commonly used online news sources. Others include CNN, BBC and local or national newspapers.

Also pushing this trend along is the growing usage of mobile technology. Now news has become more portable, personalized and participatory. 33 percent of smart phone owners now access news on their cellphones and 28 percent have customized their home pages to include news from multiple sources that interest them.

Along with grazing news outlets, American news consumers are contributing to the creation of news, commenting, or disseminating it through postings on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. According to the study over 37 percent of users have become more interactive news consumers.

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