The survey, titled “The Personal News Cycle,” was the first released by the Media Insight Project, an initiative of the American Press Institute and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
“People across generations are interested in all kinds of news, and they use a mix of media to learn about them,” said Tom Rosenstiel, executive director of the American Press Institute. “They are also much more self-directed and conscious in their media consumption than many people think. Across age groups, people not only know who is reporting the news, they prefer hearing the news directly from news organizations than indirect sources.”
The findings challenge the notion that one generation depends on print or television to get their news while another relies on the web and their cell phones. More than six in ten American adults each week get news from television, radio, print, computers or smartphones. The average adult uses four types of media every week, numbers that vary only slightly by age group.
