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Local news unimportant for newspaper readers
1 Jul 2008Given the whole debate over the role of local in journalism, a recent Canadian study offers some surprising data.
The study (PDF) into Canadian news habits for the Canadian Media Research Consortium found that TV is the most used source, with the internet and newspapers coming joint second.
What is more interesting is the reasons behind the choice of medium. Television was attractive as it was visual and live, whereas the internet was searchable and offered a choice of sources.
The main reason for choosing newspapers was out of habit. People were either daily readers or subscribers.
But only 8% said they choose newspapers because they were a source of local news. And even less said it was because they like holding a physical paper.
So while journalists and commentators may argue over the importance of local news, it seems like regular newspaper readers, at least in Canada, don’t really care.
About this blog
This blog is run by Professor Alfred Hermida, an award-winning online news pioneer, digital media scholar and journalism educator.
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No Responses to Local news unimportant for newspaper readers
Andy
July 2nd, 2008 at 2:53 am
Maybe it’s a self-fulfilling thing. Availabiltity rather than interest.
As local newspapers move away from local to concentrate on brand and niche the local news just isn’t there to see anymore. So they don’t buy it for that.
links for 2008-07-02 | James Mitchell
July 2nd, 2008 at 4:34 pm
[...] Local news unimportant for newspaper readers “Only 8% said they choose newspapers because they were a source of local news. And even less said it was because they like holding a physical paper.” (tags: journalism newspapers local+newspapers) [...]
links for 2008-07-03 « A little Jack with that?
July 3rd, 2008 at 9:36 am
[...] Local news unimportant for newspaper readers « Reportr.net Alf Hermida highlights an interesting study showing that Canadian news preference. “But only 8% said they choose newspapers because they were a source of local news. And even less said it was because they like holding a physical paper.” (tags: journalism local newspapers) [...]
Notes from a Teacher: Mark on Media » The local thing (updated)
July 3rd, 2008 at 5:48 pm
[...] Alfred Hermida: Asking whether local is better in journalism is the wrong question and Local news unimportant for newspaper readers. [...]
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July 8th, 2008 at 1:04 am
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July 9th, 2008 at 7:34 am
[...] we sinking or sunk? Alfred Hermida writes that, at least in Canada, new research shows that nobody buys the paper for local news: The main reason [...]
Canadian Media Research Blog, Journalism Industry News
July 10th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
[...] But only 8% said they choose newspapers because they were a source of local news. And even less said it was because they like holding a physical paper. So while journalists and commentators may argue over the importance of local news, it seems like regular newspaper readers, at least in Canada, don’t really care." More [...]