Americans Say News Still Fit For Print, Distrust Blogs

by Joe Mandese, Feb 27, 2009, 7:34 AM

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On a day when a major metropolitan daily like Denver's 150-year-old Rocky Mountain News folded, and New York's Newsday announced it was moving to a "pay" model, a PR shop specializing in print media released findings of a national poll indicating the vast majority of U.S. consumers still deem print editions of newspapers and magazines to be "indispensable" sources of news and entertainment. The survey by The Rosen Group, however, also found that two-thirds of Americans now use Web sites "devoted to news" as a daily source, and nearly a third consider them to be their No. 1 source of news and information.

"People are looking online for news and lifestyle information, but they are not abandoning their print editions," stated Rosen Group Founder and President Lori Rosen. "There is still a certain satisfaction and ease to holding printed text in your hands, and PDAs or PCs will not replace this just yet."

As an example, Rosen cited the fact that nearly 60% of respondents do not consider information found on blogs to be "credible."

Other findings include the fact that nearly 80% of Americans still subscribe to magazines, while 83% consider daily newspapers to still be relevant.

Despite a pronounced move toward online news consumption, respondents still believe news is fit to print. When asked if newspapers and magazines will exist in 10 years, nearly half of those surveyed (45%) said yes, while 40% remained uncertain.

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0 comments on "Americans Say News Still Fit For Print, Distrust Blogs".

1. Thomas Trumble from Jack Morton Worldwide
   

   commented on: February 27, 2009 at 11:45 a.m.

   What a deceiving headline pitting print newspapers against blogs. Read the article and the news is that 2/3 of Americans read the news online and nearly 1/3rd consider it their number 1 source of news.

   The fact that 60% of people do not consider information found on blogs to be "credible." is not proof that print newspapers are valued only that people have some healthy skepticism about citizen journalists. The relevance of newspapers and trust that they will exist in 10 years may give newspapers hope, but if they are banking on that rather than minding the majority of online news readers then they are ignoring the desires of their consumers.

   I suggest that there will be a lot less paper in newspaper's future and that the news organizations who learn how to adapt to the ways that people desire and consume news now will be the ones that will still exist in 10 years.

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