Some Newspapers Shift Coverage After Tracking Readers Online

New York Times by Jeremy W. Peters | Sep. 7, 2010 (News Report)

In most businesses, not knowing how well a particular product is performing would be almost unthinkable. But newspapers have always been a peculiar business, one that has stubbornly, proudly clung to a sense that focusing too much on the bottom line can lead nowhere good.


Now, because of technology that can pinpoint what people online are viewing and commenting on, how much time they spend with an article and even how much money an article ... Full Story »

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Beth Wellington
3.1
 by Beth Wellington - Sep. 9, 2010

Anecdotal reports on how major newspapers use data. Can we trust the anecdotes? Seems like hard data would be better. Just for a laugh, I thought I'd give you the most popular NYT stories today when I read this piece. Doesn't bode well for hard news coverage nor relate at all to the kinds of decisions the editorial staff says it is making: 1. Mind: Forget What You Know About Good Study Habits 2. In the Garden: Fending Off the Weeds With Newsprint 3. Op-Ed Contributor: Building on Faith 4. Topical Gel Catches Up With Pills for Relief 5. Gail Collins: The 5 Percent Doctrine 6. Op-Ed Contributor: The Music You Won’t Hear on Rosh Hashana 7. David Brooks: The Gospel of Wealth 8. On Clean Energy, China Skirts Rules 9. Nicholas D. Kristof: The Healers of 9/11 10. Well: Tasty Vegan Food? Cupcakes Show It Can Be Done

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