On 'Carebot' and using metrics and analytics in the newsroom the right way

No journalist today can escape measuring the success of their story by looking at likes, shares, etc, etc— not even journos at The New York Times, who held out longer than nearly anyone else.

And if you take a simplistic view of metrics and analytics, that's a bad thing. Why should good reporting be judged on clicks, or even shares and comments? We know that the big hitters on Facebook and elsewhere are cute pets, heartwarming acts of charity— junk food stuff.

But a deeper appreciation of analytics reveals its ability to improve our journalism, not just sell it better.

A recent report from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism found that many newsrooms still have a rudimentary approach to analytics. Some, however, are pushing the boundaries of what they can learn with innovative ways of measuring the success a story, and unique approaches to analysing those metrics.

We spoke with the lead author of the RISJ report, as well as one of the people behind NPR's 'Carebot' project, and Fairfax Media's head of digital channels, to explore what metrics and analytics look like when they're done well.