Resisting the Temptation of Senseless Content Creation for Clicks

As José San Clemente reports, several U.S. media outlets have started paying freelancers bonuses depending on the amount of clicks their articles get. This leads to several ethical dilemmas for journalists.

One is, that they will be tempted to solely produce stories on the kind of content that seems to attract the most clicks. However, this would lead to an increasingly constricted public sphere, in which less variety of topics receive attention, thus harming public discourse and breadth of education and knowledge among the population.

What's more, even in regard to specific individual stories, the nature of journalistic delivery could change. While originally focusing on facts, information and balance, a pursuit of the masses of clicks might drive reporters towards content creation that is rather focused on sensationalism, pleasure and drama.

In order to counteract these developments and retain journalistic values and ethics, reporters should recognize the power of integrity and credibility. Especially in the face of news of the like that were depicted by Clemente, recent headlines of renouned, trusted news organization's success in the digital sphere should shine some light on this.

The Business Insider reports for instance that the New York Times (NYT) is now receiving more money from subscriptions than advertisement.

As Marketwatch reports, an increase in digital subscriptions has functioned as a counterweight to ad revenue loss for the NYT. NYT's subscriptions come from individuals who are willing to pay for the quality work of the news organization they trust. The Times is known for its informative, factual and in-depth reporting, so a success in subscription revenue represents a great victory for fact-based, well researched and diverese content.

However, the NYT has also served as pioneer of innovation when it comes to new ways of incorporating the increasing shift from print to digital journalism. Intensely researched stories have been published in a way that is appealing to not only your brain cells, but also your eyes and ears.

The article A Game of Shark and Minnow exemplefies how a very long story can be created in a continuously captivating manner. In order to please "Generation ADD," every scroll transfers the reader into a new element. Videos, images, sounds and text are used in creative and diverse ways, to tell a story that almost makes the news consumer feel like he is right there within the story.

Therefore, to me, the answer to market incentives is to work harder and produce more diverse, qualitative and credible content. Over the long term, this will benefit every journalist's reputation, following and therefore also boost the amount of clicks his or her stories receive.