Slides from my presentation at JEAA 2013 on the Sunshine Coast, Australia.

1. Embedding the audience in
the teaching of online
journalism
JEAA Conference 2013
Renee Barnes

2. Audience participation in the
news production process
• Scholarly work focuses on:
– the attitudes of journalists towards
audience material (Hermida and Thurman
2007; Singer and Ashman 2009; Bergstrom
2010; Williams, Wardle, and WahlJorgensen 2010; Singer et al. 2011)
– the democratic and civic potential of such
participation (Deuze 2003; Bruns 2005;
Gillmor 2006; Barlow 2007; Flew 2009)

3. Audience participation in the
news production process
• Very little work has focused on how and
why the audience engages with news
sites.
• As a result audience contributions are
judged within a framework of the
standards and norms of professional
journalism.

4. Ecology of participation
• Online survey: 1271 responded to the survey
at an 82.1 per cent survey completion rate.
• Textual analysis of comments following news
stories on the cases: 2004 comments.
• Case studies:
–
–
–
–
New Matilda
Mumbrella
Baristanet
Homicide Watch

5. Why alternative journalism?
• Defined as:
– as being informed by a critique
of either or all of the following:
commercialisation and
professionalisation of media
organisations; dominant
journalism practices; and
dominant media coverage of
particular issues or topics (Atton
and Hamilton 2008)

6. Why alternative journalism?
• The changing role of the audience, highlighted in what
is variously referred to as ‗citizen journalism‘,
‗participatory journalism‘, ‗user generated content‘ or
‗pro-am journalism‘, is a challenge for the practices of
mainstream journalism (Deuze 2006; Bruns 2011).
• ‗The increasing presence of non-professional or citizen
journalists is suggestive of a different type of journalism
that may be able to disrupt and change institutionalised
journalism in particular circumstances.‘ (Fenton and
Witschge 2011, p. 160)
• The concept of ‗alternative journalism‘ offers a method
for interrogating changing journalism practices
Rodriguez 2001; Atton 2002; Downing 2003; Atton and
Hamilton 2008; Hartley 2009)

7. Key findings
• Low levels of participation all areas –
story submission(11.2 per cent provided
a story or story idea) , leaving of
comments (79.8 per cent never or rarely
left a comment) 79.8 per cent had never
or rarely left a comment

8. Key findings
• High value given to the ability to
comment and the comments of others.

9. High value given to comments
•
•
•
•
•
•
A story is more than just the article, it’s people’s reactions to
it. (254)
I observe the comments and value them, but rarely consider
making a comment. (269)
I do often find the discussion that follows stories almost as
interesting as the story itself. (19)
Sometimes the only place the details of a murdered person‘s
life are noted are on this site and often that is by friends and
family in the comments—so many murders in DC are not
even noticed by local news. (1117)
Yes. I submit photos & make comments infrequently, but it’s
nice to know I CAN do this. (30)
I almost never do [leave a comment], but good to know the
option is there. (80)

10. Key findings
• The audience of the cases
exhibited fan-like behaviours:
– Engagement driven by emotion and
affect
– Participation used a method for
negotiating individual and collective
identity
– Rational and irrational engagement
with the text exhibited (often at the
same time)

11. Fan-like behaviours
• Of particular note these fan-like
behaviours not just exhibited by
those actively contributing
•
•
•
•
•
I enjoy to read the comments to feel part of the conversation even if I
don’t take part. (345)
Sometimes the comments just annoy me, Other times they make me
laugh it is just always interesting to see what sort of discussion a
story provokes. (190)
The pain that families are going through, I feel the pain. (16)
Because like-minded educated people read/subscribe to New Matilda
and the site can always be relied upon to be up with current issues of
social importance. (148)
It’s just natural to want to be part of the discussion going on in the
community with other members of the community and feel like there
are others who feel the same as you do. (37)

12. Discussion
• points to a more complex participation
paradigm than merely measuring active
contributions
• Fan theory places an emphasis on the
emotional investment given by fans to the
object of their fandom. In this research
project emotion was found to be a driving
factor for participation across all four case
studies. Pleasure, humour, grief and personal
attachment motivated many to participate on
the sites.
• Emotion was a significant factor of
engagement for those who were not leaving
active contributions

13. Discussion
• Many audience members referred to
their visitation to the sites, even when
they did not leave an active contribution
such as a comment, as an act of
―participation‖.
• An conception of the audience must
include those who ‗internalise‘
participation.

14. An ecology of participation
• Active contribution
• Engaged listening
• Distribution
(Barnes, R. (2013). ―The Ecology of Participation‖: A study of
audienceengagement on alternative journalism websites. Digital
Journalism.)
14