Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Survey shows Internet continues to gain among news consumers


I guess I have to admit that I have a fascination with numbers. I love being able to look at raw data in number form. And that led to a fascination with the newest Pew Research survey, which showed continuations of recent trends in media usage that has deep ramifications for society in general and the news business in particular.

For example, the Internet being cited by people as their main source of news is the only area to climb with 41% of respondents reporting this is where they get most of their national and international news. Television continues to lead with 66%, trailed by newspapers (31%) and radio (16%). Numbers are more than 100 since people could list two sources.

As you can see on the chart, "old media" is trending down and the Internet is trending up. These, especially when trends for young people are added in (Internet 65%, television 52, newspapers 21 and radio 15), cannot be ignored. Does it mean television, newspapers and radio are dead? Far from it. It does mean that "old media" must continue to rethink their roles, perhaps seeking strategies to change the trending dynamic as many already have. It's a continuing evolution of news.

If you're interested in news, please read the entire report summary.