PEW Report: Trends in Digital News

A report by the PEW Research Center, 12 trends for shaping digital news, looks at how the internet and digital devices are changing news consumption habits. While half of all Americans still prefer to get their news from television and print, younger Americans cite the Internet as their main source for national and international news.

Findings from the report include:

• 50% of the public now cites the internet as a main source for national and international news
• 71% of those 18-29 cite the internet as a main news source
• 19% of Americans saw news on a social network “yesterday” in 2012
• 64% of tablet owners and 62% of smartphone owners said they got news on their devices in 2012
• 31% of tablet news users said that they spent more time with news since getting their device, and
• 34% of the Twitter discourse about Hurricane Sandy was news and information

The report also cites ‘grazing’ the news has become more popular with younger adults and online readers who get their news when they want on mobile devices compared to older adults who get their news at regular times.