By the Numbers
Media coverage:
On a daily basis, publications around the world turn to the Center and its deep pool of ethicists and scholars. They request ethics perspectives on breaking stories or commentary through opinion pieces and recurring columns, such as David DeCosse’s monthly column in the National Catholic Reporter (2.1m visits per month) and Ann Skeet’s frequent contributions to Marketwatch (84m visits per month), among others.
In 2021-22, the Markkula Center was cited in print, online, and broadcast outlets 335 times. Of those, 115 were national and/or international media outlets. The total estimated advertising equivalent of this media coverage is approximately $19.4m. Markkula Center experts have been featured in premier publications including the Wall St. Journal, Forbes, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Newsweek, US News and World Report, and many others.
Website traffic:
The Ethics Center website welcomed 2,365,541 visitors in 2021-22 generating 4,372,301 pageviews – representing a 26% increase in visitation and a 17% increase in pageview volume over the previous academic year. Of that traffic, 42% of visitors came from the United States, and approximately 87% of that U.S.-generated traffic came from outside of California, demonstrating a clear reach outside the Santa Clara community.
The overall audience visiting the Center’s website and accessing our content and resources has grown steadily, exceeding previous year usage patterns and demonstrating another year of growth.
Social media:
The Markkula Center’s various social media platforms reach 15,456 followers/friends, a 24% increase from the previous year. On Twitter, one of the most active platforms, the Center’s combined reach is even more powerful when looking at the combined networks of the staff – 15,000 additional followers receive and engage with our messaging every day.
Video:
122.1K hours of Markkula Center video content was viewed in the last academic year on the Center’s YouTube channel. The most highly watched video at 1.2M views is an interview with Tyler Shultz regarding his involvement as whistleblower leading to the Theranos investigation.
Virtual and On-campus Events:
Markkula Center staff conducted and promoted 16 events and webinars. The majority of these were recorded and continue to attract new viewers on YouTube, further extending our reach.
Podcasts:
The Markkula Center and Miller Center collaborated to record, produce, and promote 10 new episodes of the Line of Sight podcast garnering 1,135 total podcast downloads in 2021-22.
Ethics Spotlights:
The Center produced and promoted 2 Ethics Spotlights, each providing deep ethical analysis on the most pressing issues of the day, and generating 23,585 associated page views. Previously produced spotlight content continues to generate interest and combined spotlight-related content received 175,960 new pageviews in 2021-22.
Articles/Blog Posts:
Ethics Center staff and students drafted 80 essays, articles, case studies, and blog posts in 2021-22.
Newsletters:
The Center produces a monthly Center Newsletter and focus area specific blogs and e-newsletters for over 6,275 mailing list subscribers. 57% of our subscribed audience is considered to be moderately to highly engaged with the content they receive from the Ethics Center. Since 2020, our monthly newsletter has a regular open rate of between 40-50% – double the open rate seen in previous years.