Global platform, local focus: regional news and social media Dr Kathryn Bowd University of Adelaide

Background Adoption of social media by mainstream metro news outlets relatively slow and inconsistent News outlets have spent many years playing ‘catch up’ with social media adoption and growth Regional news media generally even slower to adopt: Limited resources Time constraints Perceived lack of demand (emphasis on print product; older audiences) Often dependent on interest by one or more individual staff members (when they went on holiday, there were no posts) In last couple of years social media increasingly part of broader digital strategy (particularly Fairfax) Ongoing editorial cuts to Fairfax’s regional operations raise questions about future of both print and digital output – fewer journalists doing wider range of tasks … what will go?

Regional news and social media Facebook and Twitter dominant platforms; some Instagram Official accounts and individual journalist accounts Official accounts: Used primarily to draw readers to website, and sometimes directly to print product (‘see tomorrow’s paper’) Often feature pictorial element Used to distribute information and encourage interaction/conversation Individual journalist accounts: Not part of this study, but anecdotally accounts are used in a variety of ways Some are solely professional; others mostly personal; and some combine the two Social media can be seen as sitting on the divide between public and private – official accounts could be considered public information, but journalists’ personal accounts may range across this divide

The study 3 months of Facebook posts and Tweets (March 1 to May 31) Collected manually on weekly basis 17 newspapers in four states (SA, Victoria, NSW, Queensland); mix of dailies/non-dailies; local/corporate ownership Official newspaper accounts only – no individual journalist accounts Only posts/Tweets by newspaper – comments/likes/retweets etc not included in analysis Analysis mostly qualitative at this stage – preliminary findings Newspapers included in the study: NSW – Port Macquarie News; Daily Advertiser (Wagga Wagga); Northern Star (Lismore); Moree Champion; Queensland – North-West Star (Mt Isa); Whitsunday Coast Guardian (Proserpine); Beaudesert Times; Observer (Gladstone); Victoria – Ararat Advertiser; Moyne Gazette (Port Fairy); Sunraysia Daily (Mildura); Castlemaine Mail; South Australia – Bunyip (Gawler); Border Watch (Mt Gambier); Naracoorte Herald; Recorder (Port Pirie); Whyalla News

What was analysed? Quantity and frequency (preliminary conclusions at this stage) Type of content: News General information Question Call for information Focus: Local National/state/international Emphasis/theme: Conflict Local people Local interest Visual element or text only

Preliminary findings Facebook used more widely than Twitter – all had a Facebook account, not all had Twitter Content predominantly local Non-local content often used to start local discussion on broader topic Some newspapers used photos extensively; others very little Some newspapers replicated content extensively across the two platforms (similar posts and Tweets) Most used social media to direct traffic to website or print product Limited correlation in extent of use across platforms – some used both extensively; others mostly or solely one Ongoing evidence of engagement by few staff at some publications (e.g. gaps of one or more weeks; gaps of several months - Ararat Advertiser no tweets between January and August)

Dominant themes and messages Local people Conflict – local or inside/outside Local events (particularly sport) Local achievement News and weather updates (immediacy) Similar to dominant themes in print/on website – but some use of immediacy of social media and some interaction

Communicating the message Limited use of interactivity Most Facebook posts and/or direction to website or print publication Interactivity generally basic: Seeking response to news question Seeking photos (particularly of events or weather phenomenon) Encouraging people to have their say on local or non-local topic Tweets also brief updates or redirection to news website Photos widely used on Facebook (not all newspapers); limited use on Twitter

Local people

Local people

Conflict

Local events

Anzac Day

Local sport

Local achievement

News updates

Weather updates

The front page/news wrap-up Some publications ran regular posts featuring an image of the latest front page, either on the day of printing or the day before

Links or no links

Throwback Thursday/Flashback Friday Photos from previous years used to draw traffic to paper’s website Social and event photos; some news headlines

Not just text and images

Invitation to interact

Interaction

Next steps Further and more detailed analysis taking place Few similarities in patterns of usage (particularly types of posts) Are there patterns of usage across and between news outlets? Frequency of posts Use of images Audience responses (e.g. numbers of “likes” on Facebook posts) Extent of replication of content across platforms For follow-up – do regional newspapers use social media differently to metropolitan media? Impact of continuing cuts to regional newsrooms