So where do we get the News?

So our youth get news from the magazines they read in school during assembly time, from yahoo or google news, from MSN, from friends, from blogs ..... from whom?

A study has these findings ....

Young people 'turn to family, friends for news'
These sources more trusted, says study, but traditional media still valued

PARIS - YOUNG people get most of their news and information from family, friends and social networking sources rather than other media, says a study for the World Association of Newspapers (WAN).

The study - involving 100 youths aged 15 to 24 in Colombia, Japan, Lebanon, the Philippines, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, the United States and Britain - asked them to document their media habits and discuss their attitudes towards news and newspaper readership.
It was done via one-on-one interviews, online discussions and media diaries.

The good news for traditional media is that the young have not given up on them, but the bad news is that family and friends are trusted more than traditional media.
'Most participants still value more traditional media sources and formats because they are perceived as being more accurate, reliable and trustworthy,' said Mr Robert Barnard, founder and partner of the Canada-based research consultancy D-code, which conducted the WAN poll.
'At the same time, however, although information gathered from family and friends may not be accurate, young people appear to trust family and friends much more than media sources.'

More investigation is being undertaken to discover why that is so, said a WAN statement, adding that a far larger study group is necessary to really test the results.
Mr Barnard said discussion with friends at times ranked higher than TV or newspapers for young people as a top source for information.
'In particular, social networks appear to be key in spreading entertainment news for most young people,' he said.
And young people recognise the editorial quality differences between free newspapers and the paid-for press.
'Many respondents said free commuter newspapers are well-suited for travel to and from school and work, while paid newspapers are more likely to be read at home,' the report saids.
Some hypotheses put to the test were: Are young people getting news and information from many media sources? Are young people spending less time with traditional media and more with new?
'Young participants said that usage of new media, such as computers, mobile phones, the Internet and MP3 players, is increasingly taking up time they would have spent with traditional media - though this time is obviously restricted in countries where the digital divide remains a strong barrier,' said Mr Barnard.

'Contrary to stereotype, many young participants remain respectful of traditional information sources and few dismiss them as obsolete.'


(ST,20 Jun 07)