• by Ken Liebeskind , October 16, 2001

The aftermath of the terrorist attacks is a good time to understand Internet news reading habits, with readers going to the Web frequently for the latest updates.

A recently released study by Stanford University and the Poynter Institute offers these key findings:

- Mainstream general news sites and traditional specialty news sites are read
- Multiple new sites in 30-minute sessions are read
- Readers go to text before graphics, with briefs and captions read first
- Banner ads catch readers' attention, with subjects fixating on them for an average of one second, long enough to perceive the ad. Banner ads were actually looked at twice as frequently as other graphics on the page
- 30-year-olds are more likely to read local news than older or younger people
- 20-years-olds read more science and sports than others
- 80% of all age groups read crime and disaster articles
- Men read sports more than women, but women read it, too
- More women than men read local news
- Men read more national news than women
- Many start with their local newspaper sites before moving on. Seven of the top nine news sites were newspaper sites, followed by broadcast
- Users spend up to 46 minutes with general news providers compared with 20 minutes with non-general providers

The study was conducted among readers in Chicago and Ft. Lauderdale, FL who were recruited through the websites of the Chicago Sun-Times and the St. Petersburg Times. The subjects wore eye-tracking gear in an effort to track eye movements, which enabled the study to determine the subjects' exact viewing habits.

The study didn't mention any specific news sites. Its subjects called up 211 different news sites.

The study was completed before the terrorist attacks, so it doesn't pertain to them. But researchers suggest that news sites competing for audience share would be smart to look at the study's findings in an effort to improve the way they disseminate news online at a time when it is so important.

Also, after reading the study, they might determine new ways to highlight text, since readers tend to focus on it. They might concentrate on providing the kind of news readers like best. They might even be able to sell more advertising, since readers apparently do notice it.