The answer is multi-faceted, complicated and evolving depending on the organization, according to a new report, The Traffic Factories: Metrics at Chartbeat, Gawker Media and The New York Times.

The in-depth ethnographic analysis of the role of metrics in journalism was led by Caitlin Petre, a fellow at the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia School of Journalism. The Tow Center sought to understand how the use of metrics affects newsroom culture, reporters’ behavior and their daily work. 

The report includes case studies of Chartbeat, a dominant metric vendor, Gawker Media, which is heavily focused on metrics, and The New York Times, a legacy news outlet using metrics only peripherally.

Here are some highlights from Petre’s Tip Sheet in the report:

·      Metrics exert a powerful influence over journalists’ emotions and morale. 

·      Traffic-based rankings can drown out other forms of evaluation.

·      News organizations can benefit from big-picture, strategic thinking about analytics.

·      When a news organization is choosing an analytics service, it should consider the business model and the values of the vendor. 

·      Not everything can—or should—be counted. While acknowledging the importance of audience analytics, Petre cautions, “...some of journalism’s most compelling and indispensable traits, such as its social mission, are not easily measured. At a time when data analytics are increasingly valorized, we must take care not to equate what is quantifiable with what is valuable."