"Based on interviews with a strategic sample of 11 publishers in eight low- and middle-income countries, the authors of this report analyse how various digital publishers across a range of Global South countries approach digital platforms: both big platform companies such as Google and Meta; rapidly
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growing ones, including TikTok; and smaller ones such as Twitter and Telegram. It highlights key shared aspects of their approaches that can serve as inspiration for journalists and news media elsewhere, in terms of how they see platforms (what we call 'platform realism'), how they approach them in their day-to-day work (what we call 'platform bricolage'), and key aspects of their overall approach (what we call 'platform pragmatism')." (Executive summary, page 7)
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"This report presents findings from an analysis of 165 responses to a survey of a strategic sample of known and identified independent news media organisations on how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted them, combined with interviews with a critical sample of seven independent news media operating in
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middle income countries with some or significant limitations on media freedom across the globe. The bulk of the survey responses were collected from June to August 2020. Key findings include: • Audience reach up for most: a clear majority of independent news media who responded to our survey say that their overall audience reach has increased during the COVID-19 crisis, though almost a fifth of respondents (primarily print newspapers) report that their overall audience reach has declined. • Revenues down for most: 22% of respondents expect a significant (1–20%) drop in their 2020 revenues, 21% a very significant (21–30%) drop, and worryingly more than a third (36%) severe drops of 30% or more. 14% of respondents report they expect stable or even growing revenues in 2020. • Variable impact: among our respondents, commercial news media are hardest hit by the crisis, especially those that are advertising-based, as well as newspapers and local media. These are parts of the news industry often already severely challenged by the move to a digital, mobile, and platform-dominated media environment. • Who are doing well? The respondents who expect stable or even growing revenues are often smaller online newsrooms, some of them non-profits. While typically smaller than the traditional mainstays of the industry, these independent news media often invest a far larger share of their operating cost in their newsroom." (Key findings, page 7)
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"In this Reuters Institute Report, we review how a range of different newsrooms across Europe and North America use analytics. On the basis of more than 30 interviews, we find the following: Leading digital news organisations are developing distinct forms of editorial analytics tailored to help them
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pursue their particular goals. These forms of editorial analytics differ from more rudimentary and generic approaches (1) in being aligned with the editorial priorities and organisational imperatives (whether commercial, non-profit, or public service) of specific news organisations, (2) in informing both short-term day-to-day decisions and longer-term strategic development, and (3) in continually evolving to keep pace with a changing media environment." (Executive summary)
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"The news organisations that we spoke to could be broadly divided into two camps with regards to their attitudes to online comments: there are those who embrace comments from users, often as part of a wider strategy of involving their readers in their publication, and there are those who see them as
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essentially, a necessary evil. Very few organisations (seven) didn‘t allow comments at all, but in times of financial difficulties, a costly initiative such as comment moderation, without any immediate and obvious financial benefit, is not always a priority. However, there are many organisations which see them as an essential element in fostering a real community around their publication or a niche topic. Comments are believed to increase reader engagement, both in terms of time spent on site, and in terms of loyalty." (Page 6)
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