READER-FOCUSED ELECTION COVERAGE Reader-focused election coverage. Using surveys and web analytics to plan news that gives voters the information they want and use.

1. READER-FOCUSED ELECTION COVERAGE
Using surveys and web analytics to plan news
that gives voters the information they want and use.
Columbia Missourian
Walter B. Potter Sr. Conference, Reynolds Journalism Institute
November 2014

2. PUTTING RJI RESEARCH TO WORK
⋙RJI conducted two surveys
of newspaper readers in Branson,
Sikeston and St. Joseph
to learn what they want from
election news.
⋙Altogether, there were more
than 2,000 responses to the
surveys, which were conducted in
2013 and 2014.
⋙The Columbia Missourian tried
to incorporate what we learned
from those surveys in its coverage
of races and issues on the 2014
mid-term election ballot.
⋙We then examined web
analytics to determine whether
readers consume the kinds of
news the surveys said they want.

3. WHAT THE SURVEYS SAID

5. ⋙Stories about the
state constitutional
amendments and
local propositions did
well.
⋙Although the
surveys indicated
readers didn’t want
candidate profiles,
they were among the
most well-read
election stories the
Missourian published.
Measured in page views
Profiles
Candidate stances
Ballot issues
Forums
Campaign finance

6. ⋙Stories about
county issues were
not highly read.
⋙Forum stories
didn’t perform
particularly well,
either.
⋙The performance
of campaign finance
stories matched what
readers in the survey
told us: They’re not
interested.
Measured in page views
Profiles
Candidate stances
Ballot issues
Forums
Campaign finance

7. VOTERS GUIDE
⋙Our voters guide was by far the
most read piece of election
journalism we produced.
⋙The online version published
one week before the election and
attracted readers immediately.
⋙Nearly half of all voters guide
page views came on the day of the
election.
⋙The guide offered links to our
previous election stories and let
people know more was coming.
⋙More than three times as many
people read the voters guide as
did any other single election story
we ran.
⋙We didn’t get as many clicks as
we might have liked, but there was
a surge in readership of past
coverage, especially of profiles.

8. THE TAKE-HOME POINTS
⋙The results of the RJI
surveys of Branson,
Sikeston and St. Joseph
readers seem applicable
to newspapers
elsewhere.
⋙Candidate personality
profiles do appear to be
more popular than the
surveys would have
indicated. Perhaps that’s
because the newspapers
whose readers we
⋙Readers appear to be surveyed don’t do them.
most interested in
reporting on candidates
issue stances and
in-depth information
about ballot issues.
⋙We must find ways to
make campaign finance
news more interesting
and meaningful.
⋙Despite our best
efforts, a high percentage
of our readers won’t start
paying attention to
election news until a few
days before they vote.
⋙That means voters
guides – both in print and
online – offer the best
opportunity to reach
readers and to attract
advertising.