The Audience Feedback Dilemma: how Online Feedback Shapes Local Journalists’ Audience Perceptions

We examine how audience feedback online shapes regional and local journalists’ perceptions of their audiences. Using semi-structured interviews with 15 journalists from Thuringia, Germany, we explore three questions: (1) what type and amount of audience feedback journalists perceive both online and offline; (2) how much significance journalists place on said feedback; and (3) how it influences journalists’ audience perceptions. Findings reveal that facing both quantitative metrics (e.g., clicks, shares) and qualitative responses (e.g., comments, emails), journalists experience three dilemmas: quantitative feedback signals audience interest but often conflicts with professional values (quality dilemma) and qualitative feedback like user comments is often seen as useful but also unconstructive and uncivil (usefulness dilemma). The distortion dilemma encompasses the finding that journalists perceive online feedback as useful for gauging public opinion but at the same time recognize that it is not representative. Negative experiences with hostility and incivility in on- and offline settings often shape how the interviewed local journalists perceive audiences. By considering how different types of feedback affect audience perceptions, the study contributes to the theoretical understanding of audience images as part of the changing journalist-audience relationship.