Survey on Journalism and Impact Approaches
Thank you for completing this survey. Your responses will inform a future global
report by the Pulitzer Center on the State of Impact in Journalism. We will only cite
you if you give us permission to do so.
Prefer to answer the survey in a different language? Here are other options:
Español:
https://bit.ly/SPImpactSurvey
Português:
https://bit.ly/PTImpactSurvey
Bahasa-Indonesia:
https://bit.ly/BHImpactSurvey
Français:
https://bit.ly/FRImpactSurvey
About you
Name and last name
Email
Country of residence
Please select...
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
American Samoa
Andorra
Angola
Anguilla
Antarctica
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Aruba
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bermuda
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Bouvet Island
Brazil
British Indian Ocean Territory
Brunei
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Cape Verde
Cayman Islands
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
China
Christmas Island
Cocos ( Keeling ) Islands
Colombia
Comoros
Congo
Cook Islands
Costa Rica
Côte d ' Ivoire
Croatia ( Hrvatska )
Cuba
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Congo ( DRC )
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
East Timor
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Ethiopia
Falkland Islands ( Islas Malvinas )
Faroe Islands
Fiji Islands
Finland
France
French Guiana
French Polynesia
French Southern and Antarctic Lands
Gabon
Gambia
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Gibraltar
Greece
Greenland
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Guam
Guatemala
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Honduras
Hong Kong SAR
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kiribati
Korea
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macao SAR
Macedonia, Former Yugoslav Republic of
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Martinique
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mayotte
Mexico
Micronesia
Moldova
Monaco
Mongolia
Montserrat
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
Netherlands
Netherlands Antilles
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Niue
Norfolk Island
North Korea
Northern Mariana Islands
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palau
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Pitcairn Islands
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Qatar
Reunion
Romania
Russia
Rwanda
Samoa
San Marino
São Tomé and Prìncipe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia and Montenegro
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Spain
Sri Lanka
St. Helena
St. Kitts and Nevis
St. Lucia
St. Pierre and Miquelon
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Sudan
Suriname
Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Swaziland
Sweden
Switzerland
Syria
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Togo
Tokelau
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Turks and Caicos Islands
Tuvalu
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States
United States Minor Outlying Islands
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Vatican City
Venezuela
Viet Nam
Virgin Islands ( British )
Virgin Islands
Wallis and Futuna
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Region
Check what best describes your work status
Part of a news outlet
Freelance / independent reporter
Name of outlet
Your role/title
Size of newsroom
1–10
11–25
26–50
51–100
100+
Geographic focus of your outlet
Local
Regional (within the same country)
National
Regional (multiple countries)
International
Mixed
Your geographic focus
Local
Regional (within the same country)
National
Regional (multiple countries)
International
Mixed
Approaches to engagement and impact
Does your outlet have a mission statement?
Yes
No
I'm not sure
A mission statement describes the purpose of your organization, who it serves and what your values are. It is often written in a few sentences on news websites or internal documents.
Optional: Please share with us your mission statement in a few sentences or a link where it can be found.
Does your outlet monitor the reach of publications?
Always
Often
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
Not sure
Reach is measured in numbers e.g. number of views/listens, impressions, geographical coverage, readership, etc.
Does your outlet keep track of audience engagement?
Always
Often
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
Not sure
e.g. Number of comments on posts, average time on page, social media shares, reactions, number of attendees in an event, etc.
Beyond reach and engagement numbers, does your outlet measure the impact of reporting in qualitative terms?
Always
Often
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
Not sure
e.g. Narrative reframing, behaviour shifts, community organizing, corporate accountability, policy reform, etc.
Which types of impact does your newsroom measure? Pick up to three that are most common to see around your work.
Increased awareness
Narrative reframing
Agenda setting
Awards
Recognition/mentions by peers
Behaviour shifts
Community organizing
Invitations to showcase work (e.g. panels, conferences)
Corporate accountability
Policy reform
Funding increase for the outlet
Other
If you selected “Other”, please share what types of impact your newsroom measures.
Does your outlet plan actions beyond publication and distribution that may increase the impact of your work? Check all that apply
Multi-stakeholder dialogues
Collaborations with other media outlets
Partnerships with content creators
Partnerships with civil society or community organizations
Presentations in schools and/or universities
Integration of reporting into curricula
Briefing stakeholders on reporting findings
Expert panels
Watch parties
Listening clubs
Public exhibitions
Artistic interventions
Research collaboration with audience members
Follow-up reporting
None of the above
Not sure
Other
Please specify
Attitudes towards engagement and impact
How comfortable do you feel planning and implementing the following
activities that may increase the impact of your newsroom’s work?
Very comfortable
Somewhat comfortable
Somewhat uncomfortable
Very uncomfortable
Not sure
Partnering with civil society organizations
Mixing the arts with journalism (e.g. exhibitions, plays)
Designing publication with potential outcomes in mind
Reporting collaboration with audience members
Collaboration with other media outlets and/or news creators
Convening listening clubs and/or watch parties
Presentations and/or integration of reporting into educational curricula
How comfortable do you feel with the following statements about the role of journalism?
Very comfortable
Somewhat comfortable
Somewhat uncomfortable
Very uncomfortable
Not sure
The role of journalism is to inform
The role of journalism is to hold power to account
The role of journalism is to help people make better decisions
The role of journalism is to engage people with one another
The role of journalism is to inspire action and facilitate change
What do you see as the main opportunities, if any, of journalism that envisions and plans for impact? Check up to two
Increased relevance of reporting
Greater audience trust
Higher motivation among journalists
Greater accountability
Clearer production priorities
More funding options
No significant opportunities
Not sure
What do you see as the main risks, if any, of journalism that envisions and plans for impact? Check up to two
Being perceived as advocacy
Loss of credibility
Loss of fairness and accuracy
Extra workload
Donor-shaped news agenda
No significant risks
Not sure
Organizational capacity
Do you have dedicated staff formally working to increase the reach and/or audience engagement of stories?
Yes, a dedicated role or team
Yes, as part of another role
No
Not sure
e.g. community or social media managers, audience growth editors, audience managers, SEO specialists, etc.
How many people work on reach and/or audience engagement?
1
2-4
5-10
11-25
More than 25
Do you have dedicated staff formally working on impact?
Yes, a dedicated role or team
Yes, as part of another role
Yes, as part of the engagement role or team
No
Not sure
How many people work on impact?
1
2-4
5-10
11-25
More than 25
What are the responsibilities of the people involved in impact work? Check all that apply
Assist in story ideation, development and delivery
Deliver impact strategies for publications
Oversee distribution
Mapping stakeholders
Audience segmentation
Manage social media
Partnerships with relevant groups
Develop indicators of impact
Impact tracking
Impact reporting to funders, audiences, etc.
Evaluation
Other
Please specify
Would you and/or other members of your news outlet like to be in touch with Pulitzer Center for impact-related opportunities?
Yes
Not at this moment
Great! Please leave us the names, titles and email addresses of the people that would like to be in touch with us.
Workflows
At what stage of the editorial process do you discuss the changes or the impact that a story can generate? Check all that apply
Pitching of stories/Angle selection
Editorial planning
During reporting
Outreach and engagement planning for the publication
About the same time as publication
They are not discussed at any stage
Does your newsroom follow any specific framework or guideline when defining the impact potential of a story and how to achieve it?
Yes
No
Not sure
Please tell us more about how your newsroom works on impact. Do you apply a formal methodology (e.g. theory of change)? Have you designed your own framework or guideline?
Impact measurement
Beyond reach and engagement, do you have a method to measure the impact or qualitative changes that result from your work?
Yes
No
Not sure
e.g. impact indicators, impact tracker.
Does your newsroom currently store or document evidence of your impact?
Yes
We do not systematically store evidence of impact
Not sure
Where do you store the evidence of your impact?
Shared spreadsheets (Google Sheets, Excel)
Documents (Google Docs, Word)
Project management tools (Airtable, Trello)
Messaging platforms (Slack, Team channels)
Other
Please specify
How do you capture impact? Check all that apply
Comment analysis
Online surveys
Media monitoring
Official documents
Public policy discussions
Press statements
Relevant group chats
Conversations with stakeholders
Other
Please specify
Does your newsroom share or publish the impact of its journalism?
Yes
No
Not sure
Optional: Please share a link with a sample of your impact publication.
Who is this information shared with? Check all that apply
Audience
Funders
Partners or collaborators
Sources
Internal staff
Other
Please specify
Limitations, reflections, and permissions
What are the main challenges when it comes to working on impact in your newsroom? Select up to three that are the most relevant
Lack of time
Lack of know-how
Lack of leadership support
Funding constraints
Not a priority
Other
Please specify
Is there anything else that you would like to share about how your newsroom approaches impact or why it doesn’t?
Do you allow us to publicly cite you in future reports based on this survey?
Yes, you can cite me
Yes, but only anonymously
No
Approaches to engagement and impact
Do the outlets you most frequently work with have a mission statement?
Yes
No
I'm not sure
A mission statement describes the purpose of the organization, who it serves and what your values are. It is often written in a few sentences on news websites or internal documents.
Optional: Please share with us the mission statements in a few sentences or links where they can be found (up to two outlets)
Do you monitor the reach of your publications (either directly or via outlets you work with)?
Always
Often
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
Not sure
Reach is measured in numbers e.g. number of views/listens, impressions, geographical coverage, readership, etc.
Do you keep track of audience engagement related to your work?
Always
Often
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
Not sure
e.g. Number of comments on posts, average time on page, social media shares, reactions, number of attendees in an event, etc.
Beyond reach and engagement numbers, do you measure the impact of your reporting in qualitative terms?
Always
Often
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
Not sure
e.g. Narrative reframing, behaviour shifts, community organizing, corporate accountability, policy reform, etc.
Which types of impact of your reporting do you measure? Pick up to three that are most common to see around your work.
Increased awareness
Narrative reframing
Agenda setting
Awards
Recognition/mentions by peers
Behaviour shifts
Community organizing
Invitations to showcase work (e.g. panels, conferences)
Corporate accountability
Policy reform
Funding increase for your work
Other
If you selected “Other”, please share what types of impact you keep track of.
Do you plan actions beyond publication and distribution that may increase the impact of your work? Check all that apply
Multi-stakeholder dialogues
Collaborations with other media outlets
Partnerships with content creators
Partnerships with civil society or community organizations
Presentations in schools and/or universities
Integration of reporting into curricula
Briefing stakeholders on reporting findings
Expert panels
Watch parties
Listening clubs
Public exhibitions
Artistic interventions
Research collaboration with audience members
Follow-up reporting
None of the above
Not sure
Other
Please specify
Attitudes towards engagement and impact
How comfortable do you feel planning and implementing the following
activities that may increase the impact of your newsroom’s work?
Very comfortable
Somewhat comfortable
Somewhat uncomfortable
Very uncomfortable
Not sure
Partnering with civil society organizations
Mixing the arts with journalism (e.g. exhibitions, plays)
Designing publication with potential outcomes in mind
Reporting collaboration with audience members
Collaboration with other media outlets and/or news creators
Convening listening clubs and/or watch parties
Presentations and/or integration of reporting into educational curricula
How comfortable do you feel with the following statements about the role of journalism?
Very comfortable
Somewhat comfortable
Somewhat uncomfortable
Very uncomfortable
Not sure
The role of journalism is to inform
The role of journalism is to hold power to account
The role of journalism is to help people make better decisions
The role of journalism is to engage people with one another
The role of journalism is to inspire action and facilitate change
What do you see as the main opportunities, if any, of journalism that envisions and plans for impact? Check up to two
Increased relevance of reporting
Greater audience trust
Higher motivation among journalists
Greater accountability
Clearer production priorities
More funding options
No significant opportunities
Not sure
What do you see as the main risks, if any, of journalism that envisions and plans for impact? Check up to two
Being perceived as advocacy
Loss of credibility
Loss of fairness and accuracy
Extra workload
Donor-shaped news agenda
No significant risks
Not sure
Workflows
At what stage of the editorial process do you personally reflect on the changes or the impact that a story can generate? Check all that apply
Pitching of stories/Angle selection
Editorial planning
During reporting
Outreach and engagement planning for the publication
About the same time as publication
Not considered at all
Do you follow any specific framework or guideline when defining the impact potential of a story and how to achieve it?
Yes
No
Not sure
Please tell us more about how you work on impact. Do you apply a formal methodology (e.g. theory of change)? Have you designed your own framework or guideline?
Impact measurement
Beyond reach and engagement, do you use any method to track the impact or the qualitative changes that result from your work
Yes
No
Not sure
e.g. impact indicators, impact tracker.
Do you currently store or document evidence of your impact?
Yes
I do not systematically store evidence of impact
Not sure
Where do you store the evidence of your impact?
Shared spreadsheets (Google Sheets, Excel)
Documents (Google Docs, Word)
Project management tools (Airtable, Trello)
Messaging platforms (Slack, Team channels)
Other
Please specify
How do you capture impact? Check all that apply
Comment analysis
Online surveys
Media monitoring
Official documents
Public policy discussions
Press statements
Relevant group chats
Conversations with stakeholders
Other
Please specify
Do you share or publish the impact of your work?
Yes
No
Not sure
Optional: Please share a link with a sample of your impact publication.
Who do you share this information with? Check all that apply
Audience
Commissioning outlets
Funders
Partners or collaborators
Sources
Internally/personally documented
Other
Please specify
Limitations, Reflections, and Permissions
What are the main challenges when it comes to working on impact in your freelance practice? Select up to three that are the most relevant
Lack of time
Lack of know-how
Lack of leadership support
Funding constraints
Not a priority
Other
Please specify
Is there anything else that you would like to share about how you approach impact?
Do you allow us to publicly cite you in future reports based on this survey?
Yes, you can cite me
Yes, but only anonymously
No
Would you like to be in touch with the Pulitzer Center for impact-related opportunities?
Yes
Not at this moment
Contact Information