Pew Study: Local News Still Deeply Important To Communities

The Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism released a study on Monday with some intriguing new facts about how people rely on local news.

The study found that 64% of American adults use at least three different types of media weekly to get news and information about their local community. Researchers surveyed over 2000 adults age 18 and older about where they get their news on 16 different local topics including breaking news, local politics, arts/culture events, weather, taxes and more.

They found that "age is the most influential demographic" that determines where people get news about their community. Older generations depend on traditional news sources like newspapers and television. For adults under the age of 40, "the web ranks first or ties for first for 12 of the 16 local topics asked about," Pew said.

Of all the different local topics discussed, researchers found that the weather (89%) and breaking news (80%) are the most popular topics that participants seek information about. Participants were least interested in news about jobs (39%), social services (35%) and zoning/building (30%).

However, the study also revealed that, even though people relied on their local news, most said that if their local paper folded, it would not have a major impact on their ability to get news and information about their community. This is somewhat contrary to the data, which demonstrates that local newspapers are first or tie for first for where participants turn in 11 of the 16 different local topics.

For the full study, click here.

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Comments

[gus44444]

06:52 PM on 09/27/2011

What does "local" mean? You don't really know, do you.

[Hogorita]

06:16 PM on 09/27/2011

STAY LIT WITH LITTLE ELECTRICITY

Eight hours per day at seven days a week tied to a television for two years, will completely drain a few dollars from one's home budget, however, for the many professional parasites on medicaid, Uncle Sam will give free food allotments. These mobs sleep all day and up at night, looking for joints to smoke, or running after some cocaine to snort. These sort of people don't need to burn lights. They usually are lit up by other means, with the good life. This is really why the electric industry, nationwide, is loosing money--- workers who have jobs must indirectly pick up the slack. Snorting on one end and working on the other is equated, as algebra at a standstill, while two horses pulling in opposite directions denies physics, and killowatts left out in the cold. Suggestion is that we rewire the weed bunch, relieving them of their natural generated electrical energy and take the mental lead and copper and let these fools run on solar power---especially, these two-legged, opium-loaded, bald-headed walking panels.

[brklynivn]

06:49 PM on 09/27/2011

Looks like someone's been hitting that crack pipe again...

[myviewsofnow]

01:41 PM on 09/27/2011

In my town there is a news that covers that CITY happenings and 2 channels that cover the suburbs. Then one upstart that trys to split the 2.

[CocaColaKid]

06:50 AM on 09/27/2011

I think the newspaper in my community has about had it. It's down to just reporting sports scores, Obituaries, and recipes of the week.

[lvdragonlady]

09:02 PM on 09/26/2011

LOVE of local news, ha! Their reporting is as skewered as the national news, biased and reporting on what THEY think is news and nothing more.

[Hildy Bennett]

04:42 PM on 09/26/2011

i get local paper but only read the local news because everything else has already been posted online the day before

[gomezrules]

03:38 PM on 09/26/2011

The reason I quit subscribing to my local rag is because they will not allow any voices that represent my point of view to be heard, er, read. Yes, they do publish syndicated national columnists who I enjoy, but they will not allow opining on local and state issues from anyone other than the Democrats who comprise the editorial board in its entirety. Local news is bundled in with the national when it comes to newspapers, they aren't separate.

It's been almost 2 years since I quit them, and life still goes on, I do not miss them. I can access what they produce for free, even online or reading the actual paper in my local coffee shop, or getting it from my neighbors. I say save some trees, and let them ALL quit publishing a paper edition. Things change in life. The populace will adapt, I assure you..

[Queenofthedamned]

03:28 PM on 09/26/2011

What people do not know is that if their local newspaper folded, their local "news stations" would have no idea how to fill their newscasts each day. They get ALL their local news content for the from the papers and police scanners. There's no "enterprise" nor investigative journalism in local now--no sources, no coverage of political issues that affect the lives of the entire community--just crimes, crashes and fires--that would be your so-called "breaking news." I call it "Carnage You Can Count On." Local news is a joke now--a caricature of itself, unaware of its irrelevance and caring even less. It's news for the stupid, by the the stupid.

[Roseberry]

08:08 PM on 09/26/2011

Exactly true, and it's been that way at least since the late 80s -- i know because I was a local newspaper reporter then and watched a couple of my stories get stolen by the local tv news, and one by the big city paper as well. I got kinda tired of it, you can bet. Working my beehind off for nothing when slick folks in tv makeup got all the big bucks!

[writeon1]

02:37 PM on 09/26/2011

Local newspapers used to be read by everyone in a community. Sure, sometimes it wasn't earth shattering news or even current if it was a weekly paper but it was kind of a way to connect to your community. Sadly, many locals papers are gone but it is the sign of the times and younger people get their news on the internet or TV.I grew up in a family that read two major papers a day and a local paper so it's also what you get used to. http://newsy1.wordpress.com