Commentary

News In Bits and Pieces

Multiple times daily I see a host of news headlines. I see them through my news feeds via Google and Yahoo as well as RSS feeds I subscribe to. I also see them vertically alongside the site I use as my browser homepage, http://www.refdesk.com. Sometimes I even catch a glimpse while quickly scanning auto previews of e-mail.

The Internet has grown to be the first place we can all find out about breaking news. We don't have to wait for the 6 o'clock or 11 o'clock news anymore. Many think the Internet has continually stolen share of voice from newspapers and news stations alike. Several truly believe it will force print out and turn broadcast news programming on its head.

Me? I think the Internet certainly has stolen some share from all media alike. However, people still read their newspapers on the way to work. They still turn on the 10 o'clock or 11 o'clock news. Cable programming like CNN is always available. However, I think the business user most likely gets his or her current news via the Internet. This of course is within work hours.

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What's the problem with this? As business Internet users, we consume such news in a broad manner. We may be able to spout off headlines to colleagues at lunch. However, ask us about anything deep, and we've most likely not seen it.

However, the good new is, the Internet has proven itself as a news source. PEWResearchCenter recently released a new study of America's news consumption habits.

Adults under 35 years old have been the quickest to consume news online. The study found that half of Americans say they use two or more news platforms in a typical day. Those who go online for news still spend more time getting information from non-Web sources.

PEW released another study earlier this year, "State of the News Media Study 2006," that looked closely at America's daily news journalism online. Not surprisingly, the survey found that virtually all original news gathering was still being done by "old" media. "For the most part, online news has evolved as a supplemental source that is used along with traditional news media outlets," the Pew report states. Only 4 percent of respondents say they use the Web as their only source of news on a normal day.

So is news online more of a convenience online? Do we still flock to broadcast for deeper content? Post your thoughts to the Spin blog. For now, this writer thinks Internet news is a sneak peek versus a full watch.

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