ABSTRACT
How does a newsroom know if it’s doing a good job? Traffic metrics, such as page views and time on page, are frequently used to measure newsroom performance. It is important to consider how newsrooms are assessed, since these measurements affect how people (reporters, editors, and news producers) direct their attention. For example, in the educational setting, knowing that a test will be of a multiple-choice variety will influence how a student will learn the material and study for the test. The use of traffic metrics operates similarly, often focusing journalistic attention on advertising and clicks instead of finding new ways to tell the best story possible. Yet metrics can be rethought in new and better ways. This chapter explores what these metrics might look like, how they might be employed, and how doing so would advance the democratic role of journalism.
