Legacy media continues to decline as a source for breaking news, but it still beats out other channels, particularly AI chatbots, judging by a study from Pew Research Center.
Here is where people go to follow a breaking story:
- Their preferred news organization—36%
- A search engine—28%
- Social media—19%
- Friends, family or acquaintances—5%
- AI chatbots—1%
- Some other
source—5% - Doesn’t look for more information—5%
This isn’t good news: reliance on favored news organizations is way down.
“In a similar question from 2018, a slim majority of Americans (54%) said they turned to their preferred news organization when they wanted to learn more about a breaking news event,”
Pew notes. “The shares of U.S. adults who said they turned first to search engines (15%) and social media (9%) were both lower than they are today.”
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It depends on the
person’s age. Only 14% of those in the 18-29 category go to their preferred news organization. But 59% of those age 65+ do so, as do 48% of people in the 50-64 cohort.
Rather, 41%
of the youngest consumers go to a search engine, as do 24% of the 30-49 age group. Only 15% do this.
There is a similar split when it comes to social media: 31% of the responds age 18-29
utilize social.
media for breaking news, compared to 6% of those age 65+.
And even the most youthful do not use AI chatbots for this purpose: only 2% do.
That 36% isn’t
much compared to the 2018 total, but it is something to build on: There is a reliable audience there, although it may be aging out.
What should news publishers do?
They should pursue
growth with a local, community based approach. In fact, they might take a lead from Hearst, which is conducting a multimillion-dollar brand marketing campaign for its newspapers, working with PMG.
The Dallas Morning News, which was acquired by Hearst year, has been added to the effort, joining The Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle, Austin
American-Statesman and other newspaper brands
“We are doubling down on the needs of local readers and locally focused advertisers, and we’re investing in the tools and
storytelling that help communities thrive,” says Jeff Johnson, president, Hearst Newspapers. “And in Dallas, this campaign is designed to reaffirm The Dallas Morning News’
role as an essential source for understanding, navigating and having a voice in North Texas.”
If Pew decides to study the usage question by region, it might found the number is
higher in the Dallas area.
The report was written by Christopher St. Aubin, a research analyst at Pew Research Center.
