Regardless of if it’s due to a smaller range of topics to report on or that the demand for reliable, in-depth reporting due to COVID-19 has increased, investigative news has surged in the past few weeks.
Whether it's through requesting a bigger workload from journalists or moving reporting responsibilities around, news platforms across the country have been focusing their efforts on publishing investigative articles about the global pandemic. The Denver Post and The Washington Post, for example, have reassigned a large group of their sports writing staff to coronavirus efforts. The changes are temporary due to a "story of such unprecedented magnitude."
Beyond sports, a viewership tsunami has hit many national news platforms as people search for answers in any way they can. In March, ABC’s “World News Tonight” saw a 21% increase in viewership compared to the show’s average, and a pattern drastically different from the normal “The Bachelor” and “American Idol” viewings. CNN had its most-watched month in April in 15-years, and CNN.com had 6 of its busiest days ever in one week. Even more impressive is that a data-visualization article about the spread of coronavirus became the most-viewed article ever to be published on The Washington Post’s website.
Statements released from journalists and papers across the country show strong dedication to reporting and the strive to provide the public with reliable, investigative information. A style of journalism that Jones reports was going out of style due to the high-choice media environment in Losing the News: The Future of the News that Feeds Democracy.
Kevin Moran from the Manchester Journal, for example, expressed in a recent letter to their audience that “the men and women in the newsroom hold dear our journalistic, civic duty to continue reporting on COVID-19.” Beyond individual papers and journalists, organizations such as The International Center for Journalists, Quill, and Poynter (News University), have expressed their support for high quality reporting around the nation.
The Factual recently released a list of the Top-Rated COVID-19 News Outlets based on article credibility and site trafficking, with the somewhat-surprising conclusion that no major news outlet made the top 10 list. Rather, the list was full of credible, mostly politically neutral, papers that focused on quality, investigative journalism. The Smithsonian Magazine was ranked first with MIT Technology Review not far behind. While these sites aren’t trafficked more than sites such as CNN or FOX.News, they have considerable impact.
The Global Investigative Journalism Network reports that articles have been concentrated on government preparedness, hospital readiness, equipment supply, commercial exploitation, and trustworthiness of officials. All of which are linked to audience demand that has skyrocketed since the pandemic began.
One big downfall is that this resurgence is mainly beneficial at the national level, with many local papers struggling to stay afloat. This is often due to revenue that is no longer available from local advertising.
While a resurgence in investigative journalism is a positive sign at the national news level, there is nothing to say that a similar effect will be seen at local platforms. Beyond that, after the demand disappears for COVID-19 updates, will the American public revert to their reality TV watching, celebrity-obsessed former selves?
Whether it's through requesting a bigger workload from journalists or moving reporting responsibilities around, news platforms across the country have been focusing their efforts on publishing investigative articles about the global pandemic. The Denver Post and The Washington Post, for example, have reassigned a large group of their sports writing staff to coronavirus efforts. The changes are temporary due to a "story of such unprecedented magnitude."
Beyond sports, a viewership tsunami has hit many national news platforms as people search for answers in any way they can. In March, ABC’s “World News Tonight” saw a 21% increase in viewership compared to the show’s average, and a pattern drastically different from the normal “The Bachelor” and “American Idol” viewings. CNN had its most-watched month in April in 15-years, and CNN.com had 6 of its busiest days ever in one week. Even more impressive is that a data-visualization article about the spread of coronavirus became the most-viewed article ever to be published on The Washington Post’s website.
Data analysis from The Washington Post
Statements released from journalists and papers across the country show strong dedication to reporting and the strive to provide the public with reliable, investigative information. A style of journalism that Jones reports was going out of style due to the high-choice media environment in Losing the News: The Future of the News that Feeds Democracy.
Kevin Moran from the Manchester Journal, for example, expressed in a recent letter to their audience that “the men and women in the newsroom hold dear our journalistic, civic duty to continue reporting on COVID-19.” Beyond individual papers and journalists, organizations such as The International Center for Journalists, Quill, and Poynter (News University), have expressed their support for high quality reporting around the nation.
The Factual recently released a list of the Top-Rated COVID-19 News Outlets based on article credibility and site trafficking, with the somewhat-surprising conclusion that no major news outlet made the top 10 list. Rather, the list was full of credible, mostly politically neutral, papers that focused on quality, investigative journalism. The Smithsonian Magazine was ranked first with MIT Technology Review not far behind. While these sites aren’t trafficked more than sites such as CNN or FOX.News, they have considerable impact.
The Global Investigative Journalism Network reports that articles have been concentrated on government preparedness, hospital readiness, equipment supply, commercial exploitation, and trustworthiness of officials. All of which are linked to audience demand that has skyrocketed since the pandemic began.
One big downfall is that this resurgence is mainly beneficial at the national level, with many local papers struggling to stay afloat. This is often due to revenue that is no longer available from local advertising.
While a resurgence in investigative journalism is a positive sign at the national news level, there is nothing to say that a similar effect will be seen at local platforms. Beyond that, after the demand disappears for COVID-19 updates, will the American public revert to their reality TV watching, celebrity-obsessed former selves?
This is a really great article. Really enjoyed the notes about the viewership increases and the attention the public is giving to news broadcasts. I found the analysis of the Washington Post's diagrams particularly captivating.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting take on the pandemic, and its definitely something I hadn't thought of before! I think its also interesting to note that quite a few of the top-rated news outlets cited in this article are non-profits, something that may be a reflection on the current incompatibility between profits and heavy journalism
ReplyDelete