washingtonpost.com Political Coverage

Overall Audience 85 percent national/international 15 percent local Local Audience Intense & Loyal

Politics Audience Local/National-International National Audience - General Interest Readers Local Audience –General Interest –“Insiders”

Evolving Content Areas Video Data Interactive Features (Tools,Games, Etc.) Blogs Reader Involvement

Digression – Reader Involvement Is reader comment and conversation an inherent good – for your readers, for your organization, for your community, for society? Is it Journalism and/or does it (or can it) serve a journalistic purpose? Can you/should you commit resources?

2004 Video Speeches Battleground Documentary Reports Ad Watch

2004 Data Charting the Campaign - Tracking Poll - General Campaign Finance Numbers - Most Visited States

2004 Interactive Features Spheres of Influence (view)view Compare the Candidates Veep-o-Matic Swing State Analysis Map

2004 Blogs ? Campaign Diary (view)view

Digression – What is a Blog? Written in a Certain Style: more conversational, lighter edit. Updated Often: at least daily. Interaction With Readers: readers comment, writers comment back Published With Special Tools: via blogging software – quicker, more flexible, different format

2004 Reader Involvement Online Discussions Message Boards

2006 Overview Content Areas Evolve and Converge –“Standing Alone” & “Integrated” Explosion in Data, Blogs, Reader Involvement Print/Online Relationship Blossoms - Projects jointly conceived, produced - Staff sharing - Cross publishing

2006 Examples Video –Issues Documentaries (view)view –Ohio River Ramble (view)view Data –Congressional Votes Database (view)view –Key Races (view)view –Mixed Messages (view)view

2006 Examples (cont.) Reader Involvement –Articles –Blogs Blogs –The Fix (view)view Interactive Features –Midterm Madness (view)view

2008 Taking Shape Video –More “original programming” (view)view –Stand Alone, but Much More Integration (view)view Data Explosion –More projects (Campaign Finance)Campaign Finance –More programmer/journalists in the newsroom Blog Mania –Flexible format/publishing platform –Effective way to interact and explain ourselves to readers

2008 Taking Shape (cont.) More Reader Involvement –Blogs, Article Comments, Niche Communities Interactive Features –Move Toward DIY Tools for Readers Even Closer Relationship with Print –Invasion of Online Newsroom –Productive v. Painful

2008 Lessons Blogs –Must have an identity –Build a community (niche areas) –Good way to begin interaction with readers Video –Have a Strategy (Stand Alone v. Integrated) –Multimedia Training –Hire Video Journalists Reader Involvement – Build Communities – Find Ways to Do Journalism

2008 Lessons Data –Find Free Data –Hire programmer/journalists –Give readers a crack at it Interactive Features –Hire Designer Journalists –Tell Stories in New Ways –Use to Back Up Other Content