What readers, viewers want from news media

What audiences want or expect from news media platforms is the question editors and producers grapple with every day as they prepare to print newspaper or broadcast on television/radio it makes the difference whether the public will vote for you with their pockets or they will vote for the competition. Sometimes, help comes from the audiences themselves, through letters to the editor or other feedback mechanism. 

A few weeks – if not months – ago, I received the following letters from two children and one adult regarding what they want or hope to see in Daily Monitor and other NMG platforms.1. “My name is Israel Etum and I love Rainbow Sunday. I miss all the fun things in Rainbow Sunday. 

First of all, Rainbow Sunday is fun and educative. It gives all fun facts, puzzles, comics and jokes, especially Ochuku jokes…I just miss all the educative facts. It is from Rainbow Sunday that I learnt that owls cannot move their eyeballs like us and that is why they move their heads instead…and when it comes to puzzles, they are so interesting. There are things that really raised the children’s IQ. I wish you could bring it back. Or balance Rainbow Sunday with Teen Buzz, which is also important…let teenagers also enjoy but I am begging for Rainbow Sunday to come back.”2. 

“What happened to Rainbow Sunday? I felt bad when they removed Rainbow Sunday. I miss Ochuku. Please bring back Rainbow Sunday. My name is Kabona Jonathan Isaac, Little Rina. I am 6 years old. I am in Primary One class.”3. “I am Edwin Ariiho, a Kiswahili teacher. Today I was reading the Daily Monitor dated June 24 and came a cross readers’ participation request information. 
Depending on what is going on in the country about the spread of Kiswahili language, I propose that in every newspaper, you have one page to teach the nation Kiswahili. It will create awareness among the nationals as well as give us the push to support you by buying the newspapers. We shall be ready to learn with you.” As you can imagine, there are thousands out there in the audience that desire different things to be included – both possible and impossible – in the media. I shared this feedback with the editorial management for appropriate handling. 

Nonetheless, media scholars have through continuous research attempted to categorise what audiences want in the news media beyond the 5Ws and H (i.e. what, where, when, who, why and how). I found the Reuters Institute’s recent report, “More than ‘just the facts’: How news audiences think about ‘user needs’” (June 17, 2024) by Dr Richard Fletcher particularly instructive. He broke it down into four categories he termed “basic need” and further into eight sub-categories that he termed “user need”. He then elucidated what each entails.

● Basic need one is “Knowledge” and two user needs under this are “Keep me engaged” (News that keeps me engaged with issues in society) and “Update me” (News that keeps me up to date with what’s going on).

● Basic need two is “Understanding” while the two user needs under this are “Educate me” (News that helps me learn more about topics and events) and “Give me perspective” (News that offers different perspectives on topical issues).
● Basic need three is “Feeling”. The two user needs are “Divert me” (News that is entertaining) and “Inspire me” (News that makes me feel better about the world).

● Basic need four is “Doing” and the user needs under are “Connect me” (News that makes me feel connected to others in society) and “Help me” (News that provides practical information and advice for day-to-day life).

As you can see, the feedback from Israel Etum, Kabona Jonathan Isaac and Edwin Ariiho snugly fits in the categories above.However as the Reuters Institute report found in its survey across 47 countries in Europe, Asia, North America, South America and Africa, “update me” (72 percent), “educate me” (67 percent), and “give me perspective” (63 percent) emerge as the most important user needs of news media consumers.

“Divert me” (47percent) is the least important need, likely because there is enough to divert and entertain people outside the media. What is your user need from the Uganda media, and from NMG-Uganda platforms in particular?

Send your feedback/complaints to [email protected] or call/text on +256 776 500725.