Nearly 70 per cent of Americans believe traditional journalism is out of touch, and nearly half are turning to the Internet to get their news, according to a new survey.
Two thirds of Americans — 67 per cent — believe traditional journalism is out of touch with what Americans want from their news, a new We Media/Zogby Interactive poll has shown. The survey also found that while most Americans (70 per cent) think journalism is important to the quality of life in their communities, two-thirds (64 per cent) are dissatisfied with the quality of journalism in their communities.
The online survey documented the shift away from traditional sources of news, such as newspapers and TV, to the Internet — most dramatically among so-called digital natives — people under 30 years of age.
Nearly half the respondents (48 per cent) said their primary source of news and information was the Internet, an increase from 40 per cent over last year. Younger adults were most likely to name the Internet as their top source — 55 per cent of those aged 18-29 said they get most of their news and information online, compared to 35 per cent of those 65 and older. These oldest adults were the only age group to favour a primary news source other than the Internet, with 38 per cent of these seniors who said they get most of their news from television.
Overall, 29 per cent said television was their main source of news, while fewer said they turn to radio (11 per cent) and newspapers (10 per cent) for most of their news and information. Just 7 per cent of those aged 18-29 said they get most of their news from newspapers, while more than twice as many (17 per cent) of those aged 65 and older listed newspapers as their top source of news and information.
Websites are regarded as a more important source of news and information than traditional media outlets — 86 per cent of Americans said websites were an important source of news, with more than half (56 per cent) who viewed these sites as very important. Most also viewed television (77 per cent), radio (74 per cent), and newspapers (70 per cent) as important sources of news, although fewer than said the same about blogs (38 per cent).
The Zogby Interactive survey of 1,979 adults US-wise was conducted February 20-21, 2008, and carried a margin of error of +/- 2.2 percentage points. This is the second year of the survey.
"For the second year in a row we have documented a crisis in American journalism that is far more serious than the industry's business challenges — or maybe a consequence of them," said Andrew Nachison, co-founder of iFOCOS. "Americans recognise the value of journalism for their communities, and they are unsatisfied with what they see. While the US news industry sheds expenses and frets about its future, Americans are dismayed by its present.
"Meanwhile, we see clearly the generational shift of digital natives from traditional to online news — so the challenge for traditional news companies is complex. They need to invest in new products and services — and they have. But they've also got to invest in quality, influence and impact. They need to invest in journalism that makes a difference in people's lives. That's a moral and leadership challenge — and a business opportunity for whoever can meet it."
The survey found the Internet not only outweighed television, radio, and newspapers as the most frequently used and important source for news and information, but websites were also cited as more trustworthy than more traditional media sources — nearly a third (32 per cent) said Internet sites were their most trusted source for news and information, followed by newspapers (22 per cent), television (21 per cent) and radio (15 per cent).
Other findings from the survey included:
- Although the vast majority of Americans were dissatisfied with the quality of journalism (64 per cent), overall satisfaction with journalism has increased to 35 per cent in this survey from 27 per cent who said the same in 2007.
- Both traditional and new media were viewed as important for the future of journalism — 87 per cent believed professional journalism has a vital role to play in journalism's future, although citizen journalism (77 per cent) and blogging (59 per cent) were also seen as significant by most Americans.
- Very few Americans (1 per cent) considered blogs their most trusted source of news, or their primary source of news (1 per cent).
- Three in four (75 per cent) believed the Internet had had a positive impact on the overall quality of journalism.
- 69 per cent believed media companies were becoming too large and powerful to allow for competition, while 17 per cent believed they were the right size to adequately compete.
