Science and health journalists have incorporated digital media as a source for their daily news production process, but little is known about the potential impacts of using digital media data to inform the news production process in the context of a global pandemic, where information is rapidly changing. During the COVID-19 pandemic, families have struggled to ensure economic stability and good health as well as their children’s learning and development. The Child Trends News Service sought to broaden access to science-based information to support families during the pandemic through television news, testing whether digital media can be used to understand parents’ concerns, misconceptions, and needs in real time. This article presents that digital media data can supplement traditional ways of conducting audience research and help tailor relevant content for families to garner an average of 90 million views per report.

科学和健康记者已将数字媒体作为其日常新闻制作过程的来源，但对于在信息迅速变化的全球大流行的背景下使用数字媒体数据为新闻制作过程提供信息的潜在影响知之甚少。在COVID-19大流行期间，家庭一直在努力确保经济稳定，身体健康以及子女的学习和发展。儿童趋势新闻社试图通过电视新闻扩大在大流行期间为家庭提供支持的科学信息，测试是否可以使用数字媒体实时了解父母的担忧，误解和需求。