The ability of newspaper Web sites to measure which stories are drawing the most readers could change the way coverage decisions are made at the nation's newspapers, writes Jube Shiver in the
American Journalism Review. "Television-like ratings are coming to print journalism as newspapers move to the Internet and harness technology that, for the first time, shows which stories
attract readers and which do not," Shiver writes. And, says Leonard Downie, executive editor of the
Washington Post, "What I use it for, personally, is to see what is interesting to the
public. We don't rely on it exclusively.... but it's a helpful tool to have along with letters to the editor, e-mails and other information." But Shiver notes that "the ability to track interest
may point the way for newspapers to engage readers in the Digital Age. Or, some fear, it could fuel a paparazzi-like rush to tabloid journalism."
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