Study of Community Journalism by the Suburban Newspapers of America Foundation, as Presented by Susan Karol at a Poynter Conference, May 2010

1. Striking a Balance Between
Community Journalism and
Citizen Participation:
A Research Study
Funded by a grant from:
Conducted by:

2. Users Survey - Allowing User-Generated Content
Allowing Users To Generate Content Q4. Do you think the public should be allowed to participate
on a newspaper's website such as posting comments on
Base: Total Respondents (3,010) stories, articles, opinions, photos, videos, reviews or blogs?
The vast majority of respondents say the public should be allowed to participate on a newspaper’s website such as
posting comments on stories, opinions, submitting photos and/or videos, providing reviews or blogs. It’s important
to point out that each of these respondents is an Internet user who uses a newspaper website at least once a
month. Most respondents (73%) visit a newspaper website at least weekly.
SNA Foundation 2

3. Users Survey - Allowing User-Generated Content
How Should Users Contribute Q5. Please check each of the following ways you think users
Base: Respondents Who Believe The Public Should Be should be allowed to participate on a newspaper’s website.
(Check all that apply.)
Allowed To Participate On Newspaper’s Websites (2,689)
Provide comments on stories
created by reporters
Post opinions
Participate in forum discussions
Post restaurant reviews
Submit stories they’ve written
Post information about breaking
news events
Contribute to youth sports
coverage
There were no
Post photos
significant
age differences
Write blogs
in responses
Post videos
Other
Respondents make some distinctions in the type of user-generated information they think should be used on
newspaper websites. They want to share their opinions. Significant percentages say users should be allowed to
provide comments on stories written by reporters, post opinions, participate in forum discussions and post
restaurant reviews. About half say they should be allowed to submit stories they’ve written and post information
about breaking news events. There is less support for submitting photos, blogs and videos.
SNA Foundation 3

4. Users Survey - Allowing User-Generated Content
Primary Benefits Of Allowing User Q8. What do you think are the primary benefits for allowing users
Participation of newspaper websites to contribute content online such as
commenting on stories, posting articles, photos, videos and/or
Base: Participants Who Think The Public Should Be opinions online and submitting blogs? (Please be specific.)
Allowed To Participate Or Are Not Sure (2,689)
Diversity of opinions/points
of view
Freedom of speech/expression
Additional information to
incomplete/emerging stories
Encourages participation/
involvement from citizens
Combats bias with variety of
information
Public perspective
None/no opinion
Not Sure
Providing a more diverse point of view along with free expression are the major benefits respondents cite for allowing users to
contribute online. Some also say users can contribute information to evolving or breaking stories.
SNA Foundation 4

5. Users Survey - Managing User-Generated Content
Q11. How important is it that a newspaper website identify or
Importance of Labeling Staff and User label which content is created by the professional news staff
Content and which content is submitted by citizen users of the
Base: Total Respondents (3,010) website?
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT 5
4
3
2
NOT IMPORTANT AT ALL 1
NOT SURE
The vast majority of newspaper website users say it’s important that a newspaper identify or label which content is
created by the professional news staff and which is submitted by users. Seven in 10 (70%) say this is extremely
important. (However, as shown later, a majority of respondents also say they can tell the difference between stories
written by the citizen contributors and the professional staff.)
SNA Foundation 5

6. Users Survey - Managing User-Generated Content
Q16. How much do you agree or disagree with each of the
Attitudes Toward User-Generated Content following statements using a scale of 5 to 1 where 5 means
Base: Total Respondents (3,010) strongly agree and 1 means strongly disagree and using any
number in between?
Citizens submitting information
to a newspaper’s website should
be required to register as a user
of the site before being able to post
Newspapers are responsible for the
content on their websites regardless
if the information is created by its
professional news staff or submitted
by average citizens
Citizens submitting information to a
newspaper’s website should be
required to use their real names
when posting
The poster’s real name should be
shown along with his or her
submission
(Table Continues)
The vast majority of users say citizens should be required to register on a newspaper website before posting
information, that newspapers are responsible for their online content whether produced by the staff or user
generated and that a user should be required to use his or her real name when posting .
SNA Foundation 6

7. Users Survey - Managing User-Generated Content
Q16. How much do you agree or disagree with each of the
Attitudes Toward User-Generated Content, following statements using a scale of 5 to 1 where 5 means
continued strongly agree and 1 means strongly disagree and using any
Base: Total Respondents (3,010) number in between?
Average citizens arriving at the scenes
of breaking news should be allowed
to post photos and provide accounts
of the story directly to the newspapers’
website so information is available
more quickly
The posting should include the first
name only; the last name is not
necessary
I am more likely to use a newspaper’s
website if users can comment on
stories on it or post content
I am willing to accept some
inaccuracies in a story to get more
timely information from average
citizens at a news scene
While still a minority, a significant percentage of respondents (34%) say they are more likely to use a newspaper’s
website if they comment on stories or post content.
SNA Foundation 7

8. Users Survey - Managing User-Generated Content
Q17. When breaking news, such as a major crime, accident,
Expectations For Accessing Breaking News fire, etc. occurs in your community, how quickly do you
Base: Total Respondents (3,010) expect that information to appear on your local newspaper’s
website: (Please check one)
Within 15 minutes
Within 30 minutes
Within one hour
Within four hours
Within a day
Not Sure
Newspaper website users have high expectations when it comes to breaking news. One in five expects such news
as major crimes, accidents and fires, to appear on their local newspaper website within 15 minutes after they occur.
Taken cumulatively, 45 percent want this information within a half hour and 76 percent within one hour.
SNA Foundation 8

9. User Content And Newspaper Credibility
Q19. How credible would you consider information provided
Credibility of Citizen News Coverage by an average citizen at a news scene using a scale of 5 to 1
Base: Total Respondents (3,010) where 5 means very credible and 1 means not credible at all
and using any number in between?
PERCENT CITING EACH AS
CREDIBLE (“5” or “4” rating)
EXTREMELY CREDIBLE 5
4
3
2
NOT CREDIBLE AT ALL 1
NOT SURE
Users are also split as to the credibility of information provided by average citizens at a news scene. Just under one
in five respondents (18%) say this information is credible (a “5” or “4” rating on the 5-point scale used for this
question). A slightly larger percentage (27%) say it’s not credible (a “1” or “2” rating). However, the vast majority
(52%) are somewhere in between. There are no major differences between age and income groups.
SNA Foundation 9

10. Users Survey - Regulating User Content
Q42. Do the websites you use post suggestions or “Rules of
Most Websites Have “Rules” Engagement” to help regulate behavior by citizen users who
Base: Total Respondents (3,010) post content including story comments, articles, opinions,
photos, videos, blogs, etc.?
PERCENT WHO
HAVE “RULES”
Most users say websites do post suggestions or “Rules of Engagement” to help regulate behavior by users. One in
three, however, aren’t sure. Users who posted content on newspaper websites are slightly more likely than average
to say the websites they use have suggestions or “Rules of Engagement.” Older users are least likely.
SNA Foundation 10

11. Regulating User Content
Q40. How should newspapers deal with users who post
How To Police User Comments inappropriate, vulgar or hateful comments on their websites?
Base: Total Respondents (3,010) (Please check all that apply.)
Immediately terminate the users’ ability to
post content
Issue a warning and terminate the users’
ability to post after a second incident
Offer an online mechanism for users to
report inappropriate content
Temporarily suspend the users’ ability to post
for a specific period of time
Let the community of users police
inappropriate content themselves instead of
the newspaper staff doing it
Nothing, users should be allowed to post
whatever they want
Remove/delete
Other
None
Almost six in 10 respondents say the newspaper should immediately terminate the users’ ability to post on the
website. Four in 10 (40%) suggest a single warning. There is also support for an online mechanism to report
inappropriate content.
SNA Foundation 11

12. Users Survey - Managing User-Generated Content
Q20. How strongly do you agree or disagree with each of the
The Affect of “Citizen Participation” following statements using a scale of 5 to 1 where 5 means
Base: Total Respondents (3,010) strongly agree and 1 means strongly disagree and using any
number in between?
When looking on a newspaper
website I can tell the difference
between stories written by the
newspaper staff and content
submitted by average citizens
A newspaper's overall
journalistic integrity is
compromised if average
citizens are allowed to
participate on the newspaper's
website
A newspaper's credibility is
compromised if average
citizens are allowed to
participate on the newspaper's
website
As stated previously, a majority of newspaper website users (56%) agree they can tell the difference between
stories written by the newspaper staff and content submitted to a website by average citizens (a “5” or “4” rating on
this scale). Smaller percentages agree that a newspaper’s overall journalistic integrity is compromised by allowing
citizens to generate content (29%) and that a newspaper’s credibility is compromised (27%). In fact, more users
disagree with those statements than agree.
SNA Foundation 12

13. Users Survey - Regulating User Content
Q44. Some people are concerned about allowing average
Standards Higher For Newspaper citizens to post stories, comments, opinions, etc. on
Websites? newspaper websites saying the public expects higher
Base: Total Respondents (3,010) journalistic standards when visiting a newspaper website. Do
you agree or disagree with this concern?
Agree
There are few demographic
differences in responses.
Men are slightly more likely to
Disagree
disagree than women.
Curiously, older adults (55+)
are slightly more likely to
disagree than younger adults
(especially 18-34)
Not Sure
Respondents are somewhat split whether the public expects higher journalistic standards when visiting a newspaper
website. While almost half agree (45%), 34 percent disagree and 21 percent aren’t sure.
SNA Foundation 13

14. Users Survey - Managing User-Generated Content
Q18. Do you think expectations for newspaper websites vary
Expectations Vary Slightly By Newspaper by the size of the newspaper? For example, how acceptable
Size is each of the following, using a scale of 5 to 1 where 5
Base: Total Respondents (3,010) means very acceptable and 1 means not acceptable at all
and using any number in between.
Citizens contributing
comments, photos, opinions,
etc. on smaller community
daily or weekly newspaper
websites
Citizens contributing
comments, photos, opinions,
etc. on large metropolitan
daily newspaper websites
Users have slightly different expectations for large and small newspapers. More than half (59%) say it’s acceptable
for smaller community daily or weekly newspaper websites to use user-generated content. A smaller percentage
(44%) say that’s acceptable for large metros.
SNA Foundation 14

15. Free download of the full study at www.snafoundation.org
Susan Karol, Ph.D.
Executive Director, SNA Foundation
susan.karol@suburban-news.org
Study funded by a grant from
Study conducted by:
15