The Internet has surpassed newspapers as a primary way for Americans to get news, according to the Pew Internet and American Life Project. That makes the Internet the third most popular news platform overall, with many connected users taking advantage of nontraditional consumption methods such as social media postings, personalized news feeds, and getting their news on-the-go.
National and local TV stations still dominate the news cycle for most Americans, but the Internet now stands third in the list, ahead of national and local newspapers. Additionally, the majority of news consumers say they use two to five websites per day to get their fix—a number we think sounds about right—but a surprisingly high number (21 percent) rely on that one favorite site to get everything they need.
Pew points out that consumers who don't just rely on newspapers and TV are much more interactive with their news, too. A full third of those with cell phones said that they get their news while mobile, and 37 percent of those with Internet access reported having contributed to the creation of news themselves, commenting on it, or disseminating it via Facebook or Twitter.
And even though not everyone participates in commenting or sending it out, these methods are still quite effective in getting the general population involved. Three-quarters of people who consume news online said they do so thanks to e-mails or posts on social media sites. Those "e-mail a friend" or "post to Facebook" links apparently work well.
Still, Pew's data shows that 59 percent of those surveyed get their news both online and offline. CNN and CBS were quite popular among the sample, as well as various local stations, and these two categories remain highly popular among Americans (73 percent and 78 percent, respectively).
Only 17 percent said they read the print version of a national newspaper, however, and 50 percent said they read local papers. According to Pew, newspapers were most likely to be read by people who were over 50 or those who don't own cell phones—yikes. The data clearly reflects print media's continued decline, though Pew pointed out that the online versions of newspapers (such as the New York Times or USA Today) were just as much a part of an online news consumer's day as any other website. Now if only the papers could figure out how to stop bleeding money.
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