IF YOU READ ONE THING
Six steps for a data-driven newsroom As newsrooms seek to increase engagement with their content, they often look toward data and analytics to inform their strategies. Poring over pageviews, however, may seem ineffective at best—and inhibit great reporting at worst. To those looking for effective best practices to build a data-driven newsroom, Melody Kramer and Betsy O’ Donovan of the American Press Institute interviewed journalists at dozens of newsrooms, and created a comprehensive write-up of how those staffers incorporate metrics in their day-to-day strategy. Their six key steps to incorporate data are:

1. Define your organization’s goals and key performance indicators.
2. Connect organizational goals to newsroom activities.
3. Establish context and stakes for every person.
4. Provide coaching, especially at the outset.
5. Use dashboards and newsletters to push continuous feedback.
6. Follow up in person, with face-to-face conversations.

POWERSTAT
Americans have more trust in the media they use than in news media in general

Percent who said the following about each type of media:


Source: American Press Institute

TREND WATCH
Ignore TikTok all you want—it will still reach you TikTok—a social networking app with more monthly users than either Twitter or Snapchat—may be poised to reshape other platforms in its image. The platform lets users share short videos and strongly encourages conversation with other users: Hashtags, for example, play a prominent role in organizing users around group challenges and viral jokes. What distinguishes TikTok from other social networks is its algorithmic approach to delivering content. “Imagine a version of Facebook that was able to fill your feed before you’d friended a single person,” writes John Herrman in The New York Times. “That’s TikTok.” Ultimately, even if you ignore the app, chances are its influence will reach your platform of choice, explains Herrman. “Maybe you never joined Snapchat—but its rise worried Facebook so much that its prettier product, Instagram, was remade in its image, and copied concepts from Snapchat reached you there.”

NEWS YOU CAN USE
Using tools to spread updated information The dreaded news correction—it happens to the best of publications. At the breakneck speed of social media, a false fact can spread like wildfire. But one organization found a way to use social sharing tools to reign in the spread of incorrect information it had published. When the Forth Worth Star-Telegram had to correct an article, it also turned to those who shared the original article on social media to help spread the updated information. Partnering with the ASU Co/Lab, it used CrowdTangle—a tool that helps authors see who shared their articles on social—to spread the word on the correction. A combination of collaborating with those who originally shared the article and commenting directly on those original, incorrect shared posts served as a great strategy for sharing updated information.

PERSPECTIVES
Twitter goes visual Earlier this week, Twitter announced one real and one prospective update that could change how users interact with the platform: an updated internal camera feature and the launch of a small beta to test new features meant to improve conversation. The former—which was rolled out earlier this week—aims to help Twitter compete with Instagram and Snapchat. The latter—which may never be implemented—involves hiding engagement metrics for replies behind a tap. What do these changes mean for the app—and for users?

• “[The camera] has long been an afterthought[.] ... In part, that reflects a belief at the company that the timeline would always be primarily text-based, as it had already lost the image-sharing game to Instagram and others. At the same time, viral images have been essential to Twitter almost since the beginning. One of the company’s breakout moments came a decade ago when a user snapped a photo of a US Airways plane crash-landing in the Hudson River.” - Casey Newton, The Verge
• “[The camera is] a small but interesting step in the transition of a company that understands its place in society as a means to engage with real-time information. This seems like a natural extension of the way people already use Twitter: as a way to capture a moment and quickly send it out to the world.” - Andrea Valdez, WIRED
• “Hiding likes and retweets is arguably a much more destructive change, because it diminishes Twitter users’ ability to elevate some voices and opinions over others. Retweets and likes have always been crucial tools that allow the greater Twitter community to drown out trolls and other detritus, while simultaneously helping good conversations, viral moments, and underprivileged and marginalized voices gain attention.” - Aja Romano, Vox

THIS WEEK IN OUR OFFICE
Our office will rally behind any reason that brings us together to enjoy pizza and pies. Hope you had a delicious Pi Day!

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