Live Blogs in the Age of Covid-19
If you are a reader of online news, then the odds are very high that you have come across a live blog. While this format has been gaining traction ever since the rise of online news, we have seen a significant increase in its use as a result of Covid-19, as more readers are seeking quick and concise information online.
Live blogging has been employed by journalists and news publications for more than 20 years, mainly used to cover “both sudden and planned major news events,” including breaking news, sports, and other live events (Matheson & Wahl-Jorgensen 2020). This often involves time stamped updates posted in reverse chronological order as events unfold. It allows readers to get a full picture of the topic or event being covered as it happens.
Not only are these live blogs helpful for an impatient reader, but they are also quite beneficial to the news publishers themselves. Throughout the pandemic, many news publishers have realized that the live blogs have helped drive subscriptions during a time of financial uncertainty (Willens 2021). Why is it that this format has made such a difference?
The Appeal of Live Blogs
The live blog is popular among online news consumers because of its fast, real-time updates, use of other multimedia formats, such as photos, videos, and even social media posts, and possibilities for interactivity. In a recent study, it was found that the key motivators for readers were the immediacy and convenience of live blogs (Pantric 2020). Now, more than ever, the public wants to consume the news as quickly as possible.
Another appealing element of these blogs is the “practice of reprocessing other texts” (Matheson & Wahl-Jorgensen 2020). Rather than creating a new narrative, live bloggers often compile information from other sources, including from correspondents, television coverage, politicians, Twitter, and more. Putting all of this knowledge of a single news topic into one place helps busy readers grasp the events that are unfolding. Through the use of links to these other sources, a more curious reader has the opportunity to dive deeper into details.
This multi-faceted approach to news delivery has a wide appeal to different types of online news consumers. When a reader knows that they have a one-stop-shop of important information through a specific news publisher, then they are more likely to subscribe and return to that site. The live blog “gives readers a good snapshot of a publisher’s breadth of coverage” and therefore helps attract subscribers (Willens 2021).
The Future of Live Blogs
Conversations have already begun among news publishers about how to capitalize on this format by applying it to other stories, rather than just breaking news. Although the format clearly lends itself to fast moving situations, news publishers are beginning to consider ways to use them to cover day-to-day stories.
“Looking ahead, publishers will explore whether these formats retain the same effectiveness when used to cover things that are important to smaller audiences, or whose stakes are maybe not as life-or-death” (Willens 2021).
In an effort to stay relevant, news publishers continue to adjust in this digital age. For example, The New York Times has already begun encouraging its Twitter-savy reporters to use short form reporting styles throughout their news coverage (Willens 2021). This social-media-like reporting is a big reason why live blogs have remained popular, in a world where a large population gets their news from Twitter or Instagram. The question remains, can live blogs retain relevance to consumers and effectiveness for publishers when used in different contexts?
References
Willens, Max 2021, “‘A conversion monster’: The live post makes a comeback among news publishers”, Digidays, viewed 19 February 2021, <https://digiday.com/media/live-post-comeback/>
Thurman, N & Newman, N 2014, “The Future of Breaking News Online”, Journalism Studies, 15:5, pp. 655–667
Pantic, M 2020, “Gratifications of digital media: what motivates users to consumer live blogs”, Media Practice and Education, 21:2, pp. 148–163
Matheson, D & Wahl-Jorgensen, K 2020, “The epistemology of live blogging”, new media & society, Vol. 22(2), pp. 300–316
