3.2: What do the audience want?

News organisations see their work as a public service, so news is made up of information that people need to know to go about their daily lives and to be productive citizens in a democracy. But most news organisations are businesses that must make a profit to survive, so the news also includes items that will draw an audience: stories people may want to know about just because they are interesting and will attract readers. In the digital era, many media outlets cover sensationalist stories just to attract readers and “clicks” on their websites to build up their readership numbers, which, in turn, might provide them with more advertising revenue.

What makes something news, therefore, also depends on the makeup of the intended audience – not just where they live, but who they are and what their interests are. Different groups of people have different lifestyles and concerns, which make them interested in different types of news.

A business programme on the radio attracts business owners and people who are interested in investments and the stock market. A radio news programme targeted at younger listeners might include stories about music or sports stars, or influencers, which would not be featured in a business newspaper aimed at older, wealthier readers. A weekly magazine that covers medical news would report on the testing of an experimental medicine, because the doctors who read the publication would be interested in such a story. However, unless the medicine is believed to cure a well-known disease, most general-interest local newspapers would ignore the story. An exception might be a newspaper or a website in the community where the research is being conducted, reporting on the story because the audience might feel proud about the achievement by their local researchers.

As a journalist, you need to know your audience well (as also discussed in section 2.9). Apart from the type of publication you work for, which tells you something about the audience, there are other ways to get to know the audience.

Audience comments on social media give an indication of topical issues for the audience. Analytics on websites can tell you more about the times of the day when people read the news, the stories that interest them the most, and where they are based. Surveys and audience events tell you about the age, level of education, and interests of your audience.

By knowing what interests your audience, you would know what types of stories to focus on more. This is particularly important when you work for commercial media outlets who rely on advertising and sales to make an income. If you work for non-profit media, or media that rely on sponsorships, your audience are still important, but in many cases, non-profit media also have other mandates, such as working towards transformation of society, or representing marginalised voices.