Jeff Sonderman
Jeff Sonderman is the former deputy executive director of the American Press Institute.
Before joining the American Press Institute in 2013, he was the digital media fellow of The Poynter Institute. His earlier journalism background includes digital news — helping to launch TBD.com, a local digital news startup in Washington, D.C. — and various roles in newspapers, as an award-winning reporter, online editor and metro editor of The Times-Tribune in Scranton, Pa. He was the architect and developer of API’s Metrics for News analytics software that reinvents how publishers use data to inform content strategy. He also edited API’s Need to Know newsletter, and designed API’s Strategy Studies research format for in-depth strategic guidance. And he consulted with publishers on a range of issues related to content strategy, organizational transformation, audience development, newsroom structure and workflows and product management. He graduated from the Missouri School of Journalism.
Methodology
We examined 428 newspaper stories from the websites of eight local newspapers across six states (California, Florida, Idaho, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington). Only news articles focusing on 2016 non-presidential election campaigns, including federal (U.S. Senate, U.S. House), statewide (e.g. gubernatorial, Attorney General, Supreme Court, etc.), and local races (e.g. mayor, council, supervisors, school board, etc.), […]
Primary election coverage: What types of news engage audiences
A broad, data-driven analysis of campaign coverage by the Engaging News Project and the American Press Institute shows how local, state, and federal elections are covered across the United States and what types of campaign coverage engage individuals. The Engaging News Project partnered with the American Press Institute to examine local news coverage of the […]
New 2016 data shows a bright spot for newsroom diversity
The just-released ASNE census of newsroom diversity shows some types of news organizations managed to grow their number of minority employees in 2016, despite challenging conditions. The trend, though short-term and not perfect, offers cause for optimism that some news organizations are making progress in adding employees from diverse backgrounds even as their staff sizes shrink. […]
3 charts that show the very different news audiences for mobile web and apps
When a designer or product manager at a news organization wants to improve a mobile product, she might commonly set up observational sessions to watch real people use the product and see what happens. It’s a nice way to get insight into how a few people actually use their mobile devices. But how much more […]
Making the leap from editorial to product thinking
Many of the people performing product management roles in news organizations have moved over from traditional editorial roles. That shift requires some changes in mindset and work habits, as they find producing daily news content is a quite different responsibility from managing the long-term growth and usability of the product. Several of the people at […]
How to hire effective product managers for a news organization
Whether your news organization is looking to create its first product management role, or add to an existing product team, finding and recruiting the right person can be difficult. For one, it is a field like developers that is in high demand, including from technology startups and large corporations who may offer a higher salary […]
How to do good user testing and get feedback on products
Eric Ulken, executive director of digital strategy at the Philadelphia Media Network, says they see product managers as the “voice of the user.” Everyone inside your organization can speak for themselves — advocating for what editorial, business, marketing or other departments want in a product. But users aren’t in those meetings, and a good product […]
How product managers should work with their bosses and colleagues
Everyone in your organization plays some key role in making your products great. The product manager is there to guide, facilitate, and advocate — but not to do it alone. The participants at our summit had a lot of good advice about how to work with senior managers and colleagues in the process of making […]
How to integrate product management in your organization
Particularly for “legacy” news organizations, like newspapers, that have evolved and calcified an organizational structure from an earlier era, it can be challenging to find the right fit for product management. Product people cross a lot of traditional silos — their responsibilities involve editorial strategy, business and revenue success, marketing and subscriptions, and technology. In […]
Best practices for product management in news organizations
News is a product. Conceptually, that is a leap for people from traditional reporting and editing roles. We are used to buying “products” in stores or online. We hear tech people describe a new app or service as a “product.” And all that makes sense. But we traditionally did not think of news that way. […]