Web not the most common source of news, study says

Print newspapers are a dying species.  It’s sad, but true (even though I can smugly say that I have a subscription to my local newspaper.  Don’t you feel plebeian?).  But print newspapers are still circulating; the question is, who is reading them?  A new report released Monday by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, Pew’s Project for Excellence in Journalism, and the Knight Foundation has asked just that and found that while online news reigns supreme among those under 40, it hasn’t topped the ranks overall just yet.

The report asked over 2,200 adults where they go to get their local news, and the findings showed that different sources were used more commonly for some topics than others.  Overall, more people (74%) said they turn to the TV first and foremost for their local news than any other news medium, due in part to the fact that it covers the local topics that people tend to follow on a regular basis, such as weather, traffic, breaking news, local politics, and more.

“The rise of search engines and specialty websites for different topics like weather, job postings, businesses, and even e-government have fractured and enriched the local news and information environment,” said Lee Rainie, Director of the Pew Internet Project and co-author of the report.

Interestingly, online news ranks fifth as the most common source for local news.  More people said they turn to TV first, followed by—of all things—word of mouth (55%) from family and friends (some of which is tied to social media, but the report makes clear that for the most part, this is a case of someone saying “did you hear about ____?”).  Slightly more than half of all respondents (51%) said they get their news from the radio, while 50% said they get it from the local newspaper.  Just 47% of respondents said they get most of their local news online, and 17% said they get local news from social media sources.

But the tables turn when it comes to the breadth of news covered by different media.  The Internet (search engines, specialty news websites, and social media) obviously covers the widest range of topics, but age played a big role in who was more likely to say that they turn to the Internet for information on certain topics.  Those under the age of 40 were more likely to say that they turn first to the Internet for information on everything from weather and traffic to politics, crime, restaurants, local businesses and schools, and more, while those over the age of 40 were more likely to say that they turn to print news for information on all those topics.  Respondents over the age of 40 were more likely to turn to the Internet for information local businesses and restaurants.

Overall, however, the vast majority of respondents (69%) said that their local newspaper does not play a big role in how they get their news, so much so that if the local newspaper were to disappear, they said it would have no effect on how they get their news.  Younger adults (18-29) and heavy technology users showed even less reliance on local newspapers.  A full 75% of young adults and 74% of home broadband users said that losing their local newspaper would have no impact or a minor impact on their ability to get local news.

Mobile is starting to play a larger role in how people get local news, with 47% of respondents saying they get at least some local news from their mobile device.  While mobile devices and apps aren’t a preferred source for local news, a number of respondents are using them to get news, with 36% saying they use their smartphones or tablets to get local weather reports, while 31% said they used them to get information on local bars and restaurants, and 25% said they used them to get information on their local community.