Newspapers, my first news info sources.
Before the advent of television, newspapers, magazines and radio were the primary sources of national and state news. The neighborhood gossip gave us local news of any importance over the phone.
Then came television and the Internet.
And the amount of news available exploded. Add in all the variations of these media, such as cable, satellite, dial-up, DSL, wireless, etc. The choices have become almost overwhelming.
How much do I want to know?
I am not really interested in celebrity gossip. I was trained is the social sciences, so I am interested in social trends, science, human interest stories, politics, philosophy, etc.
I am actually rather self-protective.
What I need to find out is what are leaders doing that will affect my life, directly or indirectly. What will the weather be like in the near future? What are corporations going to do to me next? What trends will negatively impact on us - my roommate, adult children and grandchildren?
Research polls show that Americans are getting more interested in international news, less trusting of the media.
On June 8 the Pew Research Center reported on attitudes toward the news. The story leads with news that (their links) quote,
News Audiences Increasingly Politicized Online News Audience Larger, More DiverseWhere do we fit?
Navigate this report
I. Where Americans Go for News II. The Changing Online News Audience III. International News Audience Broader, Not Deeper IV. Attitudes Toward the News V. Media Credibility Declines About the Surveys Media Tables Questionnaire Part
1 Questionnaire Part 2
Overview
Despite tumultuous events abroad, the public's news habits have been relatively stable over the past two years. Yet modest growth has continued in two important areas online news and cable news. Regarding the latter, the expanding audience for the Fox News Channel stands out. Since 2000, the number of Americans who regularly watch Fox News has increased by nearly half from 17% to 25% while audiences for other cable outlets have been flat at best.
Pew's research indicates that I fit the norms in some ways and not in others. What about you? For example,
- I, too, am often skeptical of news outlets
- I feel that the nation is more polarized than in a very long time. Am I am occasionally at the end of that spectrum.
- I get more of my news from the Internet than from other sources
- I almost never watch Fox News
- I am very interested in International News, particularly info about the European Union and the Middle East
Tags: current events politics International news public opinion news media
2 comments:
I sometimes feel like I'm a news junky and other times I don't pay close attention to the news for a few days. I listen to the news when I drive and read several newspaper online. I can't imagine having to pay for newspapers in order to read them.
Andy Pass
Andy, I believe you are probably like many other people who (perhaps) grew up online. It is as natural as breathing. Thanks for the comment.
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