The messaging platform WhatsApp reaches 2 billion people around the world, but it’s not as popular in the United States as it is in other countries. Therein lies a huge, untapped opportunity for local news outlets. Seventy-five million people in the United States (one in five) use WhatsApp, with the biggest demographic being the Hispanic community.
Two newsrooms on opposite sides of the world are pioneers in using WhatsApp as a news platform.
Based in South Africa, Simon Allison is editor-in-chief of The Continent, a WhatsApp weekly newspaper covering Africa. He started the format in April 2020 as a way to combat COVID misinformation that was spreading through social media.
Based in New Hampshire, Daniela Allee is a senior news editor at New Hampshire Public Radio, where 4.5% of the state population is Hispanic. Allee, who’s Colombian American, saw the need to provide news and social service links in Spanish during COVID. She launched a Spanish-language news product on WhatsApp called ¿Que Hay de Nuevo, New Hampshire? or What’s new, New Hampshire?
In Zoom interviews, we discussed the enormous potential and niggly challenges of using WhatsApp Business for both newsrooms.
Building On Trust
WhatsApp group chats tend to be friends, family and close colleagues.
There’s a higher level of trust and connection organically built into groups pulled from your phone contacts.
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