ABSTRACT
In a mid-sized daily newspaper in the American South, administrators have mounted a giant board covered with rows of newspaper front pages from previous weeks. Each page accompanies a chart with circulation and penetration figures for that day. The board’s purpose is clear-it’s an oracle, offering cryptic truths about the hidden connection between news content and audience behavior. And the truths remain cryptic. As one editor puts it, “If anyone in this building tells you they know how to interpret this, they’re full of it.”
