Newsrooms are by their nature outward looking, concentrating on logistics of news gathering, and how to best serve their audience and the public interest.
But lately, those in the media industry are showing a willingness to talk about themselves. Not out of vanity, but to counter division; to remind us we must be able to accept facts to live in a socially cohesive and democratic society.
The rise of social platforms that amplify echo chambers has led to this reflection. News brands are examining what they can do to explain their role and educate the public on how news is made, to distinguish their work from the never-ending opinions, hot takes and downright harmful and misleading material that’s served up by algorithms that prioritise outrage over truth.
Nine stepped into the spotlight this week, hosting its latest State of the Nation event. Over breakfast, an audience of media buyers and marketers were treated to analysis of the economy and the mood of the nation, provided by the editor of The Sydney Morning Herald, Jordan Baker, Australian Financial Review business editor Kylar Loussikian, and executive editor of nine.com.au Katie Davies.
They shared what content is currently resonating with readers, not surprisingly, the conflict in Iran is on the most-read list.
“Our live blog, which has been running for about six weeks since this latest crisis kicked off, is by far the biggest traffic driver on our website,” said Baker. “There is a huge appetite to know what’s going on.”
Articles on Federal Budget winners and losers always see high traffic, as do stories on fuel prices and other cost of living pressures.
The publishers made it clear while newsrooms closely monitor what stories get the most traffic, it’s their reporters on the ground that drive content.
Nine Publishing managing director, Tory Maguire, summed it up by explaining Nine is data informed, not data driven: “For the Herald and AFR, the focus is subscriber engagement and acquisition, serving the people who pay for the service based on interest points but also a level of bringing them what they need to know. For nine.com.au, it’s about reach and keeping people in the ecosystem.”
As Davies succinctly put it: “Our audience wants what is ‘on the tin’ – the facts. In a saturated market, it’s about being correct and factual.”
It’s a formula that works, around 10 million people visit nine.com.au each month.
On questions from the audience about how to engage younger readers, Loussikian revealed the AFR has a younger demographic than people expect: “If you work in banking or law, we like to think you have to read the AFR to have a conversation with your boss. Even social media accounts like The Aussie Corporate link to our stories daily. It’s become part of the professional infrastructure for young people.”
The State of the Nation audience also heard Australians lead the world in concern about misinformation, 74 per cent say they are worried about fake news on social platforms. Two in five are now using news to actively fact-check information they see in unchecked online environments.
The event previewed the launch of Nine’s The News Effect series. The five video episodes will drop on the Nine for Brands website, featuring conversations with editors and journalists across Nine’s mastheads, around key topics from ThinkNewsBrands’ latest News Nation report. The research demonstrates the reach of news in Australia, and why it’s a powerful driver of commercial performance for brands.
In the first episode, Baker will discuss the work that goes into differentiating fact from fiction. Later in the series, Nine’s head of growth content, Lisa Muxworthy, will lift the lid on how Gen Z consumes news.
In contrast to tropes about young people mindlessly scrolling, News Nation data shows they are more likely than their parents to curate their news from five sources or more. They are also the demographic most likely to pay for a news subscription.
The News Effect will also canvas the often-debated topic of brand safety tools in advertising. Some brands avoid the headlines for fear of negative association with hard news. Evidence shows what they are missing out on is the trust halo news creates. News Nation showed trust in social content creators has dropped to 36 per cent, while trust in national news publishers has risen to 78 per cent.
Readers report they slow down when they read news. As Nine’s commercial director of publishing, Ashleigh Thomas, explained: “That provides a massive mental dividend.”
“Readers lean in and slow down when they engage with our journalism. They don’t just see ads; they remember them. In news environments, ads see 6.4 times higher unprompted recall than anywhere else on the internet.”
ThinkNewsBrands CEO Vanessa Lyons said the State of the Nation event hit the sweet spot, providing an informative and entertaining discussion.
“Congratulations to Nine on letting their talent shine and for sharing those expertise. It’s important news publishers share data not only their reach, but also the evidence that shows their content holds attention,” Lyons said
“The State of the Nation panel shows Australians are well served by tenacious and professional journalists who have their readers top of mind. That credible environment creates a credible environment for brands.”
As newsrooms rally against cries of fake news, expect to see more work highlighting how investment in journalism is also an investment in the public interest. Editors and journalists are shining a light on their craft, talking about how Australian news is gathered, legally vetted, researched, verified, double-checked and sub-edited before someone hits publish – standards that are rare in the digital world.
The News Effect launches on 1 May.
