Your news? Your views? Interactive features and user-generated content initiatives in online newspapers from Australia and New Zealand

Abstract

As online newspapers increasingly offer users an interactive news consumption experience and adopt a rhetoric which celebrates the visibility of “ordinary” voices, they project an impression of a democratised news environment where users are granted better representation than ever before. This thesis investigates and critically assesses the current deployment of interactive features and user-generated content (UGC) initiatives by a number of online newspapers in Australia and New Zealand, two countries which have received little attention in this field of research to date. After establishing the range of theoretical concerns informing the study, the thesis adopts a primarily qualitative analysis of the websites of these online newspapers in order to assess the opportunities provided for user participation. Through an examination of interactive features and initiatives, the language of the surrounding texts (including moderation policies), and a close analysis of two noteworthy cases (Stuff.co.nz's “From the Newsroom” editorial blog and NZHerald.co.nz's “Your Views” feature), the thesis evaluates the extent to which relations between news producers and users and their respective identities appear to be shifting in the online news environment. The study finds that the online newspapers studied follow a standardised approach towards interactivity and UGC, with the majority of features and initiatives operating in line with traditional journalism practice which functions to distance users from both news producers and news production processes. This thesis argues that there has not been a dramatic shift in the ways these news outlets approach their relationship with and responsibilities to the audience. There appears to be some reluctance to adopt features and policies which might be perceived to challenge professional standards or require an alteration of work routines. While some of the study's findings resonate with existing international research, the thesis adds new value to the field by addressing the gap in coverage of user participation by online news media from Australia and New Zealand. The thesis concludes by proposing a number of potential directions for change if online newspapers are to facilitate user engagement in more effective and civically responsible ways and encourage enhanced modes of citizen participation in the news process.