Pew Media Study

Despite popular opinion that Americans get most of their news from the television, Pew Research Center recently released research findings that suggest we should not discount local newspapers, Web sites, and even word of mouth as news mediums.

Pew's media study found that television used primarily to get information about the weather, traffic, and breaking news. Newspapers and their Web sites were used for getting information on a wide variety of other topics from local government updates to crime reports. The study also found that word of mouth (through text messages/twitter posts) is the second most common means of news distribution on the local level.

These findings were a compilation of over 2,000 adults that were surveyed.

I would agree with the findings of this study. If I were asked where I got most news from, initially I would think from the television. However, upon closer observation, I would say that word of mouth is one of my bigger news mediums. I often here people talking about "breaking news" in my classes. I inquire about what they are discussing because I am unaware of the news. After class, I often research the topic further on the Internet. I would imagine I am not the only one that uses this same method of discovering news.