How does the 5 Things news quiz come together every week?
Throughout the week, I pull memorable bites from the daily 5 Things newsletter and store them in a file, knowing they will be great questions for the quiz. By Thursday, when we compile the quiz, I have close to 10 questions that I know people will likely remember from the week’s news.
I come up with the questions, but Andrew Torgan, my editor, signs off on all of it and plays a role in selecting the photos that we use. If it’s something that we don’t want to give away, we work with the photo team to blur those pictures before you click the answer.
The quiz is built on the website by our CNN interactive developer Ivory Sherman, who’s a doll. I send her all the content and she programs it Thursday evening. It takes maybe an hour or so to program. We check everything one last time, and then it’s just a matter of clicking “publish.” Then of course we include the quiz in the 5 Things newsletter every Friday.
Are you able to see how many people got each question correct every week?
We are able to see the total percentage of correct answers. Sometimes it’s quite shocking. I've seen as low as 33% correct, to up to 92%. We sometimes do themed quizzes around major holidays. Our Presidents Day quiz, all trivia about past presidents, was really impressive. It was closer to the high 80s range. Our audience is really smart.
Do you get a lot of feedback from readers on the quiz and the 5 Things newsletter?
Oh, yes, I encourage people to send me feedback, even if you feel like trolling! We welcome all feedback. I’ve seen lots of positive feedback – I love knowing the quiz is reaching people and brightening their day in the midst of the crazy news cycle. It’s a nice break from the traditional news read. And we really do read all the comments, tips, advice and kind words people send us in response to the 5 Things newsletter. Andrew and I take our time to make sure we’re building a family here.
When you’re not writing 5 Things, how do you enjoy spending your time?
If I’m not working, you can probably find me at a coffee shop. I’m a coffee addict, doesn’t matter the time of the day – whether its 12 a.m. or 12 p.m., I have a cup.
The 5 Things readers know through all the coffee references I make. And I’m such an organization freak. I will literally just go to the coffee shop and write in my calendar all the things I need to do. That gives me such a mental release and clarity.
