The biggest conservative news outlets are seeing a precipitous decline in traffic to their websites, and it's showing no sign of abating despite 2024 being a high-profile election season.On Wednesday, Daily Beast media reporter Justin Baragona tweeted traffic data compiled by media analyst Howard Po...
  • Pete Hahnloser@beehaw.org
    16·
    4 days ago

    This is not a case of great editing … solid reporting, good numbers, takes a turn in the last graf and then summarily falls off a cliff. You can’t claim a trend, show one data point and then run the tagline.

    • sqgl@beehaw.org
      3·
      3 days ago

      And where does he get the traffic data from?

      The websites would be guarding that and Google Analytics (if installed/enabled) would not divulge it to a third party.

        • sqgl@beehaw.org
          1·
          3 days ago

          That does not answer my question.

          No I don’t trust their methodology. In fact I am suspicious the numbers are entirely fictitious. I imagine they are highly guarded confidential information which is not public.

          • jarfil@beehaw.org
            2·
            2 days ago

            You asked where do they get the data from… well, that’s the answer 🤷

            The numbers could be fictitious (you didn’t ask whether they get “reliable data”), or they could be doctoring them themselves… but there is a number of companies whose work is to let sites put trackers that gather user data, so they can in turn use it as a point when luring advertisers.

            It isn’t “highly guarded confidential” information, websites would happily submit their access logs if that could make them look more appealing to advertisers… but they don’t, because: a) they could be sending fake data, which would make the aggregating company lose face, meaning they won’t accept self-reported data, and b) site logs contain a lot of users’ personal information, sharing which could fall afoul of privacy legislation.

            They may still have to pay for access to parse that data, or extract it from the data made publicly available (…which could still be doctored, but 🤷)

            • sqgl@beehaw.org
              1·
              2 days ago

              they can in turn use it as a point when luring advertisers.

              Wouldn’t that be shared only with potential advertisers upon request via a password rather than just making it publicly available?

              I am only speculating, are you?

              • jarfil@beehaw.org
                1·
                2 days ago

                The intermediary companies also want to attract clients, whom to sell more detailed data. It isn’t unusual for them to release basic data like total number of users per domain, for free. For further segmentation, like interests, keywords, geolocation, client’s system properties, etc. they do require subscribing.

                I’m not speculating, I’ve had a chance to work at server maintenance (where basic data comes from), website design and maintenance (where 3rd part user trackers go), and both offering ad space and contracting ad services (dealing with these companies, ad networks, and website owners).