Most ethics authorities usually agree that articles containing numbers require careful review prior to publication. Too many editors and writers forego the necessary vetting, warns editorial and design consultant Robin Sherman. “Journalists publish many stories based on bad data,” he says, “which in turn is often based on poor methodology.” Sherman is immediate past ethics…
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When judging publishing industry editorial competitions, my most challenging category often is the Best Headline event. In the past, I restricted my evaluation to headlines accompanying feature articles. This year, I expanded the scope to account for treatments involving cover, contents page, and editorial columns. The result is the following ten-point scoring system. If you…
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I wish I had written the recent editorial column posted by colleague William Dunkerley. Bill publishes two excellent industry newsletters. In one of them—STRAT—he offers a thoughtful assessment of why advertising outlook is gloomy. A key reason, he states, is long-standing practices that today lack merit must be discarded. When it comes to B2B editorial…
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Performance studies I conduct usually evaluate editorial staff members based on hours consumed by six factors: (1) original writing; (2) editing work of others; (3) field trips; (4) production; (5) article recruitment; (6) administrative tasks. But a few days ago, during my speech at ASBPE’s data journalism Boot Camp, a wake-up call arrived via a…
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Statistical expertise alone doesn’t guarantee success for your published editorial research program. In fact, there are many other considerations that must be addressed well before questionnaire development begins. For instance, what incentives must be offered to insure survey response? How can field trips be used to create reader interest in research participation? Can you conduct…
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Relying on curated content and PR announcements as e-news sources “is not inherently and automatically bad.” That view was expressed in comments by Deborah Lockridge, editor-in-chief, Heavy Duty Trucking and Trucking Info.com, on my December 4 LinkedIn Update calling for greater emphasis on enterprise reporting by B2B media. In many cases, content gathered via curation or…
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While no cinch to maintain, continuous flow of exclusive research remains a necessity. B2B multi-publishers often have a research department available to provide necessary statistical expertise. But smaller firms—especially during the start-up phase—may have to go it alone in providing research-oriented content. For the latter group, help is on the way via “The Basics of…
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Despite agreement that original content deserves highest priority, many B2B e-news sites continue to rely on quality shortcuts when posting articles. That impression is conveyed via early returns to Editorial Solutions, Inc.’s 7th annual B2B e-news delivery study. Reliance on rewritten PR announcements as space fillers continues to be common practice. In too many cases,…
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Any evaluation of e-news capability must be considered in term of competitive achievement. Columnists claiming expertise in e-news matters emphasize the urgency of delivering high-value information unavailable elsewhere. Clearly this is a tall order. In many competitive match-ups, it becomes apparent that exclusivity is in short supply. Instead, competitive sites post coverage of identical developments…
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When e-news sites are scored during Editorial Solutions, Inc. consulting assignments, allowances might be made for heavy workloads due to daily frequency or lack of adequate staff support. But if it comes to evaluating basics, there are no excuses for earning minimum scores on factors such as Fog Index, at least one solid long-form article…
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