NewsBeat

June 2019 NewsBeat 21 Fraser University to adapt the incentivizing power of a fitness tracker to this challenge. Leveraging the technology behind voice- activated assistants like Siri and Alexa, we created a tool designed to motivate journalists to pay more attention to the gender ratio of their sources. Using big data analytics, our Gender Gap Tracker monitors the ratio of male to female sources quoted in Canada's most influential news media. Its easy-to-read graphs are updated daily and reflect both the performance of individual newsrooms, and aggregate data from them all. From October through January, women's voices remained steady at about 25 percent. Most journalists know that doesn't reflect well on either their journalism, or their audience engagement prospects. Beleaguered by industry disruptions, and competitive by nature, many are eager to improve. In fact, since we launched the Tracker on Feb. 4, women's voices have increased by 4 percent. This improvement has been aided by grassroots women's groups that have created databases of expert women across a wide range of fields. Our collective goal is to make it easier for journalists to find female sources who are both qualified and eager to share their insights. Anyone familiar with the incentivizing power of a fitness tracker understands that what gets measured is more likely to get done. Like the 10,000-step crowd, news media may discover that the quantification leads to life- sustaining health benefits. — Shari Graydon is the founder and catalyst of Informed Opinions, a non-profit working to amplify women's voices to bridge the gender gap in public discourse by 2025. Newspapers have a responsibility to cheerlead the community as much as provide the traditional check and balance oversite to the area they serve. hen a community feels good about itself all sorts of wonderful things can happen. Our I believe in Sheldon monthly community support page program provides local advertisers the opportunity to share the reason they chose Sheldon for their home. Their comments covered a wide host of what they believe makes Sheldon a great place to live, raise a family and operate a business. We sold our program to run the third Wednesday of the month in The Sheldon Mail-Sun, our hometown newspaper. It was sold under a contract to run 22 months with each sponsor paying $50.00 per month for their endorsement. Each month a spokesperson shares their personal insight and reflection about what makes Sheldon great. Their comments cover everything from Sheldon's great parks and trail system to the quality of the public and private schools, the excellent retail area and the health system. The commentary is written for the advertiser by our creative department following an interview the spokesperson. This is an easy package to sell. Local business leaders want to promote their hometown. Banks, lumber yards, hospital, local economic development office, Chamber of Commerce and city officials are all good prospects. Potential total income: $22,000.00 — Peter W. Wagner is founder and publisher of the award winning N'West Iowa REVIEW and 13 additional publications. You can receive his free monthly GET REAL newsletter, written exclusively for State Press Associations, by contacting your association manager. To get his free PAPER DOLLARS email newsletter for publishers, editors and sales managers email him at pww@iowainformation.com . The two monthly email newsletters contain information completely different than the monthly Publisher's Auxiliary column and are available without charge or obligation. Wagner can be contacted by emailing pww@iowainformation.com or calling his cell at 712-348-3550. By PETER W. WAGNER W

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