The Iinternet has now surpassed all other media except television as an outlet for national and international news in the US, says a new report from the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.
Currently, 40 per cent say they get most of their news about national and international issues from the Internet, up from just 24 per cent in September 2007. For the first time in a Pew survey, more people say they rely mostly on the Internet for news than cite newspapers (35 per cent). Television continues to be cited most frequently as a main source for national and international news, at 70 per cent.
For young people, however, the Internet now rivals television as a main source of national and international news. Nearly six-in-ten Americans younger than 30 (59 per cent) say they get most of their national and international news online; an identical percentage cites television. In September 2007, twice as many young people said they relied mostly on television for news than mentioned the internet (68 per cent vs 34 per cent).
The percentage of people younger than 30 citing television as a main news source has declined from 68 per cent in September 2007 to 59 per cent currently. This mirrors a trend seen earlier this year in campaign news consumption.
The survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted December 3-7 among 1,489 adults, finds there has been little change in the individual TV news outlets that people rely on for national and international news. Nearly a quarter of the public (23 per cent) says they get most of their news from CNN, while 17 per cent cite Fox News; smaller shares mention other cable and broadcast outlets.
