Journalists´ opinions on audience-created content in online newspapers. A Swedish case study.

• Focus on audience-created contents has increased rapidly over the past years in online news media all over the world. In Sweden most online newspapers offer their readers opportunities of participation, such as submitting comments on articles or uploading personal pictures and movies. Some engage readers to contribute to the newspaper through personal blogs, often tied to a certain subject such as being a part of a minority group or being a first-time parent. Others offer free blog portals for their readers to create their own blogs. Most newspapers encourage their readers to send pictures and information of occurrences that might be of interests for the news coverage. Editors-in-chief often see audience-created content as a way to strengthen the ties between the newspaper and the readers. They also stress the possible benefits of reader-created content as a way to complement the news coverage. But how do professional journalists view this increased focus on audience-created content? Do they also emphasise benefits of these kinds of contributions or do they tend to stress disadvantages of audience-created content? This article is concerned with a case study of Swedish newspaper journalists´ opinions on audience-created content. Based on a survey of Swedish newspaper journalists and editors-in-chief, conducted in 2008-2009, the results reveal quite some differences in opinions in this matter.

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Medie- och kommunikationsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Media and Communications (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Annan samhällsvetenskap -- Övrig annan samhällsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Other Social Sciences -- Other Social Sciences not elsewhere specified (hsv//eng)

Keyword

audience-created content

journalism

online newspapers

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

kap (subject category)