TRUSTEE VERSUS MARKET MODEL: A JOURNALISTIC FIELD EXPERIMENT

Douglas Wilbur
The University of Missouri at Columbia

ABSTRACT

This field experiment examines data gathered through a competition hosted by the
Austin-American Statesman, the test their daily news via email delivery service the Midday Break,
and a news aggregation service called the Statesman’s News For You, managed by the Repertory
Company. The Midday Break represents the trustee model of journalism since editors choose
stories in a traditional manner. The Statesman’s News For You represents that market model of
journalism since users select story preferences through a personalization function. Results of
aggregate user data revealed that the Statesman’s News For You subscribers opened more of their
services email and read more of their delivered news stories than those of Midday Break. A survey
of both groups revealed that Statesman’s News For You subscribers gave their services higher
ratings for credibility, likelihood of recommending to a friend and perceived control than Midday
Break subscribers. This field experiment lends some evidence that the market model of journalism
might offer a better route for newspaper survivability and economic success.

Keywords: Statesman’s News, trustee, market model of journalism, Midday Break