{"id":76,"date":"2019-12-06T02:30:45","date_gmt":"2019-12-06T02:30:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.journalism.ryerson.ca\/rurukaul\/?p=76"},"modified":"2019-12-06T02:30:45","modified_gmt":"2019-12-06T02:30:45","slug":"modern-day-news-engagement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/rurukaul\/2019\/12\/06\/modern-day-news-engagement\/","title":{"rendered":"Modern day news engagement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Impactful journalism is about influencing society, challenging the status quo and connecting with people and telling their stories. Making connections with outside voices and bringing their stories to light can not be done without audience engagement. The audience should not be taken for granted. Instead there should be a more deliberate attempt about earning the audience’s loyalty. https:\/\/theconversation.com\/journalism-needs-an-audience-to-survive-but-isnt-sure-how-to-earn-its-loyalty-109221<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Engagement is about more than just encouraging people to be interested in the work of an organization. It is about representing and including people, which in turn, maintains their interest and makes them want to engage further. Needless to say, engagement is about the individual. More specifically, it is about making and fostering an emotional connection with the individual. The audience should feel as though they can relate, that their life or the lives of those around them have value and that they have a voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The way to do this is to let the audience know that they can trust you. You must demonstrate that you respect them and their intelligence. For that reason, the tone used when speaking to the audience is key. It is important to explain everything in full detail as if the audience doesn’t already know what you are talking about. However, this has to be done without being condescending or talking down to your audience. It is also important to value your audience’s time and appreciate their engagement. https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/books\/2008\/sep\/25\/writing.journalism.news<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good audience engagement occurs when the audience feels a personal connection to the method of engagement. An example of how a newsroom has done this is Washington Post using TikTok to engage with their audience. TikTok is a very popular app among the Gen Z population. Washington Post’s video editor Dave Jorgenson found a practical way to show users of the app how news is made. The goal is to build trust with TikTok’s young viewers and help them become familiar with the Post’s newsroom by using humour to show how the newsroom operates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2019\/11\/07\/media\/tiktok-washington-post\/index.html<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I got an opportunity to work on the JRN104 newsletter and engage with a journalist. I interviewed freelance sports and pop culture writer Alex Wong. He has written for Yahoo Sports, GQ, the National Post and the New York Times. I enjoyed the experience of working on the newsletter and learning about a journalist’s life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wong offered his advice to young journalists who are just starting out in the field. “Never wait for success to come to you, you have to go out and get it yourself,” Wong said. As someone who does not work with a consistent schedule everyday, Wong stresses the importance of remaining open minded and leaving your pride at the door. I found it really helpful to learn about a job in journalism from a primary source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order to get a better understanding of how newsrooms engage with their audiences, I looked at the social media posts of the Huffington Post. The first post is a video that Huffington Post put on their facebook page. The theme of this video is “people before power” and it shows how Huffington Post shows how every story matters to the individual. They are also focused on sharing the stories of everyday people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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