This study examined six publications' online versions in order to determine if what standards of online journalism exist, and if they are shared across different publications. The publications were evaluated in light of the three categories of the study: transparency, interactivity and multimedia. For transparency, aspects of visibility of process were examined – is it possible to determine who the author is and find out more about him/her? Are the sources obvious, and is it possible to find more about them? Interactivity took into account three indicators of interactivity – sharing options, related stories and commenting. How extensive were they? How easy were they to use? Multimedia looked at offerings beyond text, like images, infographics, slideshows and video. Where these being utilized? Were they afterthoughts or did they aid the story-telling of the article?
Given the standards found, recommendations for editorial and design practices were developed. Implementing these recommendations will hopefully draw in readers, keep them at the site and make them invested in it, which will in turn make
online media more viable as a revenue source