Research

Reader Engagement

A Better Way to Tell Protest Stories

October 28, 2021

Protest coverage often casts protesters and their causes in a negative light, particularly when covering underrepresented groups. To help journalists frame stories in ways that do not harm these groups, the Center for Media Engagement examined two story areas of particular concern....
A Better Way to Tell Protest Stories

How Local Newsrooms Can Better Connect with Conser...

August 16, 2021

The Center for Media Engagement partnered with Trusting News and 27 local newsrooms to investigate how news organizations can help bridge the divide between the media and American conservative and right-leaning audiences....
How Local Newsrooms Can Better Connect with Conservative and Right-Leaning Audiences
offensive comments

How the Public Views Deletion of Offensive Comment...

June 16, 2021

The Center for Media Engagement teamed up with researchers in three countries to examine how the public perceives comment deletion and the moderators who do it....
How the Public Views Deletion of Offensive Comments

Want to Inform People About Registering to Vote? K...

October 1, 2020

The Center for Media Engagement teamed up with the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life to examine how news organizations can best communicate information about how to register to vote....
Want to Inform People About Registering to Vote? Keep It Simple

Coronavirus Coverage: The Effects of Headlines and...

August 13, 2020

Coronavirus news can be overwhelming. To determine if newsrooms can help counteract the fatigue, the Center for Media Engagement tested the effects of three types of headlines and two types of images on news Facebook posts....
Coronavirus Coverage: The Effects of Headlines and Images on Facebook

Testing Behind the Story Cards

January 30, 2020

We explored whether the placement of the Behind the Story card on a news organization’s website affects readers’ recall of the card and trust in news....
Testing Behind the Story Cards

Images That Generate Clicks Among Both Liberals an...

December 17, 2019

  The Center for Media Engagement partnered with ProPublica to determine if news story headlines and images can be crafted in ways that appeal to both liberals and conservatives. We…...
Images That Generate Clicks Among Both Liberals and Conservatives

The Keys to Powerful Solutions Journalism

August 22, 2019

  Solutions journalism offers comprehensive coverage of an issue by proposing solutions rather than just focusing on the problem. The Center for Media Engagement set out to determine how certain…...
The Keys to Powerful Solutions Journalism

Clickbait Content May Not Be Click-worthy

May 16, 2019

In today’s highly competitive digital environment, it can be tempting to turn to clickbait news. But covering news that emphasizes outrageous behavior by political leaders might actually backfire....
Clickbait Content May Not Be Click-worthy

Journalism Through Theater: How An Art Form Can In...

March 26, 2019

In our latest research, the Center for Media Engagement (CME) partnered with The Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) and StoryWorks to examine how theater and journalism can be combined to create a powerful message....
Journalism Through Theater: How An Art Form Can Inform

Using Links to Keep Readers on News Sites

September 26, 2018

Our research finds that audiences are more likely to click on links that use images in their layout, appear at the end of a page and reflect related content...
Using Links to Keep Readers on News Sites

Subscription Messages

September 5, 2018

With funding from the American Press Institute, CME researchers tested different engagement methods aimed at prompting new subscribers in three different newsrooms....
Subscription Messages

Political Coverage on Facebook

June 28, 2018

With the help of a national newsroom, we conducted 118 experiments on Facebook to test the success of different headlines, images, and status updates on Facebook....
Political Coverage on Facebook

Online Quizzes and Interest in Political News

April 4, 2018

Our researchers found that online political quizzes increase people’s interest in political news and make them feel more knowledgeable about politics....
Online Quizzes and Interest in Political News

Chicago News Landscape

January 10, 2018

The Center for Media Engagement partnered with a local news organization, City Bureau, to explore attitudes towards, and preferences for, Chicago news media....
Chicago News Landscape

Trust in Online News

December 12, 2017

The inclusion of Trust Indicators can result in higher opinions about the news organizations and journalists that use them, according to the Center for Media Engagement's research with the Trust Project....
Trust in Online News

General Election News Coverage: What Engages Audie...

April 6, 2017

In the run-up to the 2016 general election, local news outlets focused less and less on coverage of issues, with coverage of corruption and scandal receiving more page views and social referrals....
General Election News Coverage: What Engages Audiences Down the Ballot

Mobile News Notifications

October 27, 2016

People who receive mobile news notifications more frequently visit the corresponding news applications....
Mobile News Notifications

Primary Election Coverage: What Types of News Enga...

October 11, 2016

Do audiences engage more with news coverage of campaign strategy or issues?...
Primary Election Coverage: What Types of News Engage Audiences

How One Community Responded to Solutions Journalis...

September 20, 2016

In response to a newspaper series on the issue of poverty, the public tweeted more about poverty. The discussion, however, lasted only a short period....
How One Community Responded to Solutions Journalism

Investigating the Influence of “Clickbait...

August 9, 2016

We tested whether headlines written using varying levels of uncertainty prompt different reactions....
Investigating the Influence of “Clickbait” News Headlines

A Digital News Snapshot: An Analysis of 25 of the ...

July 20, 2016

As news habits change, it's important to understand what is available for news audiences across various platforms....
A Digital News Snapshot: An Analysis of 25 of the Top Sites Across Platforms

Solutions Headlines

June 2, 2016

Solutions-oriented headlines yield a modest increase in clicks over non-solutions headlines, but other factors may also affect clicks....
Solutions Headlines

Solutions Journalism & News Engagement

March 29, 2016

There are benefits to newsrooms using solutions-based journalism, but it is not a cure-all for audience engagement....
Solutions Journalism & News Engagement

The Current State of News Headlines

December 1, 2015

Headlines are the marquees of news stories. These short statements located at the beginning of an article frame the information that is to follow. They encapsulate a portion of the…...
The Current State of News Headlines

Solutions Journalism

June 2, 2014

We found that solutions-based reporting may be an effective journalistic tool that serves the needs of both audiences and news organizations, and that it has the potential to increase reader engagement....
Solutions Journalism

Hyperlinks

September 18, 2013

Can hyperlinks be presented on a page in a way that prompts additional news use, as opposed to entertainment stories? And can hyperlinks be presented on a page in ways that encourage visitors to view editorial content from different political perspectives?...
Hyperlinks

How Online Quizzes Can Benefit Newsroom Websites

September 18, 2013

Although polls can be engaging for site visitors, there are downsides. Quizzes help news audiences learn more in a fun and engaging way....
How Online Quizzes Can Benefit Newsroom Websites