E&P: Gallup Finds 44% Still Read Newspapers Daily -- As Web Reliance Cools

[DeepModem Mom]

Editor&Publisher: Gallup Finds 44% Still Read Newspapers Daily -- As Web Reliance Cools
By E&P Staff
Published: January 05, 2007

NEW YORK - A new Gallup poll released today reveals a halt in the steady decline of Americans who rely on newspapers for most of their news gathering, with local TV news still holding at #1.

Despite all of the publicity about people fleeing to the Web for their daily news diet, the Gallup survey found that twice as many still rely on newspapers: 44% daily vs. 22% daily for Internet use.

"The rapid growth in the Internet news audience may have slowed in the last two years, and cable news viewership has declined," Gallup reports.

An additional 13% say they rely on newspapers "several times a week," meaning 57% use the papers a lot.

Behind local news and newspapers come the network news at 35% daily and cable news at 34%, and public television at 28%. Radio talk shows fall far behind at 20%.

Daily newspaper use had stood at 47% in 2002, falling off to 44% in 2004 -- but showing no further declines since....

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003528255

[Phredicles]

1. Any hope this means newspapers will stop the garish re-designs with

an eye to appealing to people who don't read?

[daleo]

2. I read print newspapers and internet sources

No doubt lots of people do - these aren't mutually exclusive. I need the print copy for the crossword puzzles.

[LiberalFighter]

7. I read newspapers because:

1) Easier to navigate
2) More likely to read everything I want to read
3) Easier than lugging a computer to the barbershop, dentist, or doctor
4) Easier to read in the bathroom
5) Easier to find out sales at local stores

[daleo]

11. Those are all good too

The advertising in the print editions is also less annoying (no icons marching across the page or flashing along the side).

[brentspeak]

3. Good. I hope more people continue to read actual newspapers.

[pitohui]

5. why on earth why?

i look at all of the waste just from the part of the newspaper that is delivered for free, the ads and coupons, and it just seems a wicked waste of resources to keep producing paper like this


i know several people who have newspaper subscriptions who never read them, sometimes they give me unread newspapers to use to line bird cages

the trees died for us

and even recycled cheap pulp takes resources

[damntexdem]

6. It still pays to recycle.

Literacy is worth it.

[VegasWolf]

4. My problem with the mass media is that by definition it is for the masses. If one likes

sugar coated pablum, written using sixth grade English and limited scope of complexity in the topic, then mass media is for you. The nice thing about the internet is that it is a communication media for all intellects, even the for lowest gifted among us who have Free Republic.com

[depakid]

8. "A new Gallup poll..."

'Nuff said.

[Arugula Latte]

9. I "read" (scan) newspapers to get the Official Mainstream Spin

Then I get on the Internet to find out the real story.

[applegrove]

10. Now that the MSM is reporting more news..I'm not surprised people

have gone back to reading a little bit more. I'm sure there is a jump for television hosts who tell the real news too.