Journalism

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Subscription Messages

With funding from the American Press Institute, CME researchers tested different engagement methods aimed at prompting new subscribers in three different newsrooms. Read More
Subscription Messages
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News Awareness in Fresno, Kansas City, and Macon

Our researchers surveyed 4,584 people in three U.S. news markets and found that people generally read national news more, but they perceived local news somewhat more favorably. Nearly 90% felt at least somewhat confident they could spot "fake news," but less than three-quarters of the people could correctly select fake headlines. Read More
News Awareness in Fresno, Kansas City, and Macon
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Political Coverage on Facebook

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. Read More
Political Coverage on Facebook
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Women Journalists and Online Harassment

After interviewing 75 female professional journalists, researchers found that online harassment is a pressing issue that requires immediate attention. Read More
Women Journalists and Online Harassment
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Online Quizzes and Interest in Political News

Our researchers found that online political quizzes increase people’s interest in political news and make them feel more knowledgeable about politics. Read More
Online Quizzes and Interest in Political News
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A Progress Report: Media Engagement Through Theate...

In partnership with The Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR), we are analyzing how attitudes change based on seeing a play. This is a progress report on our first effort. (photo: Leah Mahan) Read More
A Progress Report: Media Engagement Through Theater
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Chicago News Landscape

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

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. Read More
Trust in Online News
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Website Redesign

Redesigning a website's homepage could improve page views and time on page, according to a CME study that was conducted in conjunction with the launch of two news organizations' redesigned homepages. Read More
Website Redesign
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A Survey of Snapchat Users: Media, Politics, &...

In the weeks leading up to the 2016 election, we surveyed Snapchat users about their use of the app, specifically for news and politics. Read More
A Survey of Snapchat Users: Media, Politics, & the 2016 Election
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General Election News Coverage: What Engages Audie...

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. Read More
General Election News Coverage: What Engages Audiences Down the Ballot
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Comment Section Survey Across 20 News Sites

We partnered with 20 U.S.-based news organizations to conduct one of the largest-ever surveys of online news commenters. Read More
Comment Section Survey Across 20 News Sites
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Mobile News Notifications

People who receive mobile news notifications more frequently visit the corresponding news applications. Read More
Mobile News Notifications
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Primary Election Coverage: What Types of News Enga...

Do audiences engage more with news coverage of campaign strategy or issues? Read More
Primary Election Coverage: What Types of News Engage Audiences
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How One Community Responded to Solutions Journalis...

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. Read More
How One Community Responded to Solutions Journalism
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Journalists and Online Comments

By interviewing working journalists, we learned that they do read the comments and respond to commenters. Read More
Journalists and Online Comments
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Survey of News Editors and Directors

Our survey of news editors and directors offers a glimpse at current newsroom practices. Read More
Survey of News Editors and Directors
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Investigating the Influence of “Clickbait...

We tested whether headlines written using varying levels of uncertainty prompt different reactions. Read More
Investigating the Influence of “Clickbait” News Headlines
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A Digital News Snapshot: An Analysis of 25 of the ...

As news habits change, it's important to understand what is available for news audiences across various platforms. Read More
A Digital News Snapshot: An Analysis of 25 of the Top Sites Across Platforms
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10 Things We Learned by Analyzing 9 Million Commen...

This report describes what we learned from analyzing 9,616,211 comments people posted to The New York Times website. Read More
10 Things We Learned by Analyzing 9 Million Comments from The New York Times
Newspapers with bold headlines: Economic Crisis, Investment, Financial Growth.

Solutions Headlines

Solutions-oriented headlines yield a modest increase in clicks over non-solutions headlines, but other factors may also affect clicks. Read More
Solutions Headlines
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Solutions Journalism & News Engagement

There are benefits to newsrooms using solutions-based journalism, but it is not a cure-all for audience engagement. Read More
Solutions Journalism & News Engagement
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Survey of Commenters and Comment Readers

We describe the demographic makeup, attitudes, and behaviors of the people who comprise the online commenting world. Read More
Survey of Commenters and Comment Readers
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The Current State of News Headlines

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 story, presenting a snapshot of reality. The New York Times headlines an article as “Climate Change Will Disrupt Half of… Read More
The Current State of News Headlines
News headlines collage with topics: lawsuit dismissal, drone swarm, self-driving cars, Airbus A350.

Contemporary vs. Classic Design

There is a significant increase in page views and learning from articles when people browse a news website with a contemporary design compared to one with a classic, newsprint-style layout. Read More
Contemporary vs. Classic Design
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Background Information & Facts

People are more willing to get involved in political discussion when they're provided with background information containing pro and con arguments. Read More
Background Information & Facts
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How We Use Online Spaces

Through six focus groups, we learned that people prefer in-person discussions about politics rather than those that take place online, and are concerned that political discussion might lead to conflict. Read More
How We Use Online Spaces
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Restructuring Comment Sections

There are several benefits - and limits - to using a three-column comment section as opposed to using a traditional one-column section. Read More
Restructuring Comment Sections
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New Approaches to Comment Moderation

For three months, we attempted to code for incivility within online news comments in new ways. In this progress report, we share thoughts on what worked, what didn't, and what research can be done next. Read More
New Approaches to Comment Moderation
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Journalist Involvement in Comment Sections

Uncivil comments decreased when a journalist interacted with online commenters. Read More
Journalist Involvement in Comment Sections