سمعها is a form of digital media. It is generally free and commoditized. This commoditization alienates readers from the process of production and devalues news.
We still have a limited understanding of how sources flow from different social and other media channels to mainstream digital news – particularly during crises events (remediation). Previous research has focused on analyzing the origin of source material as attributed in news articles or live blogs.
Definition
Online news is a type of journalism that is published and distributed via the Internet. It can incorporate the use of text, photos, graphics, audio and video to tell stories. It can also be a platform for citizens to share their own personal perspectives on events in their countries or communities.
The pathways to news shape the way that citizens inform themselves, and thus have significant implications for democracy. Therefore, understanding how, where and why people use news is critical to the development of the field.
People tend to prefer online news because it is available 24/7 and allows them to choose which articles they want to read. They also appreciate the fact that they can read articles in any language. Additionally, online news is environmentally friendly as it does not require the use of paper and chemical inks. Moreover, it is easy to carry around as users can access it using laptops, mobile phones and digital watches.
Formats
Online News is available in a range of formats. These include short updates (live blogs), longer articles, interactive infographics, video and podcasts. News organizations also offer more creative options, like crosswords, sudoku, animated investigations, listicles, explainers and vox pops.
Live blogs are notable for their reverse chronological posting and participatory features. They are designed to convey the fluid and unfolding nature of a story. They are often sourced from eyewitnesses and readers, and their tone is typically light, informal and playful (Tereszkiewicz 2014). Live blogs have open structure, contrasting with closed structures of other news formats such as radio or television broadcasts which are characterised by fixed timing, tight framing and parsimony.
The most popular format is the 800-word article, despite its length not providing enough focus and shareability to justify its prominence. Media organisations have experimented with a variety of other forms, such as data visualisation, snowfall-like scrollytelling and online news video, but it is difficult to identify any new formats specifically developed for News.
Audiences
Many journalists view audience analytics with skepticism. They believe that these metrics often privilege clicks, a superficial metric that may not capture how much a story is enjoyed. They also worry that such data misleads them by rewarding the most sensational stories.
Others, however, believe that it is important for news organizations to know their audience in order to be able to serve them better. This approach emphasizes audience engagement, which involves listening to and responding to people’s feedback about the media they consume.
The aim of this research is to compare the expectations, concerns and attitudes of weekly users and non-users of PSM news in France, Germany, and the UK in terms of news personalization, examining how these differ by country following the different significance of PSM in national media systems. The research aims to illuminate how these differences are related to the content perspective and the way in which journalists prioritize stories for their audiences.
Engagement
News outlets use a wide variety of engagement methods. Almost all offer newsletters, and at least nine-in-ten release podcasts. Three-in-four allow users to comment on news articles, while more than half have TikTok accounts.
Adding public connectivity to a news site changes the way it operates as a whole. For example, a news article about the oil pipeline protests in Fort McMurray may receive more attention when it is posted in GNews than when it is featured on CNN.
To test the validity of the clustering analysis, we compared the attributed importance of different news sources across profiles. The results showed that SM News Consumers value links and face-to-face communication, while Avoiders put less emphasis on these types of media; Sharers prioritize SM, but also TV and newspapers; and Omnivores rank both SM and traditional media high (see Supplemental Appendix 1). These differences suggest that the profiles reflect distinct news consumption preferences.
