The Changing Face of News


This just in… The way people get their news is changing.

The Internet is taking the world of news by storm. Streaming online news videos, online news articles, and RSS feeds subscriptions are fast becoming the most popular way Americans keep in touch with their world. Social media has the capacity to spread breaking news like wildfire, and mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets are keeping people connected, 24 seven, no matter where they are.

Television news viewership has declined and stagnated in the past decade, with the percentage of people who said they get their national and international news from TV dropping from 82 percent in 2002 to 66 percent by 2010 (according to a Pew Research poll). While the rate of decline has slowed, it has not stopped, and the rate of increase for Internet news gatherers is continuing to climb.

Internet news sources surpassed newspapers in 2008 (45 percent versus 35 percent ), and radio had been left in the dust since 2003. However, of the three older modes of reporting, both television and newspapers have managed to keep a foot in the door of online news, transitioning much (if not all) of their content to their corresponding website, so that they might better retain the viewers who prefer to get their news from the Internet.

For instance, in addition to their on air news Channel 3 Cleveland maintains a content saturated website, covering the same stories as their television counterpart and even offering streaming video of the broadcast itself, while also providing up to the minute weather forecasts, breaking stories, and email subscriptions and RSS feeds.

And News Channel 3 Cleveland is just one of the thousands of national stations maintaining websites to supplement their broadcast duties. By catering to the continually growing and progressively younger online community, these stations like Channel 3 are proving that, in fact, you can teach an old dog new tricks.


Leave a Reply