Ch. 2 Summary

Even though print news is phasing out, Americans are reading more news than ever. They consume news via tablets, apps and phones. News is changing, becoming more fragmented across a plethora of platforms. Advertising is moving online, which drains money from print news sources.

Audiences consist of traditionalists, 52 percent, who watch TV news at a shallow level; interrogators, 23 percent, who watch TV news at a deeper level and get some of their news online; net-newsers, 13 percent, who are digitally savvy and consumer their news online; and the disengaged, 14 percent, who are not very interested in news at all.

The public generally distrusts the media as a whole, but generally trusts the particular outlet from which they receive their news.

Convergence addresses the problems of fragmentation and the decreasing consumption of print and cable news by creating options — online, print, mobile, etc. — so that consumers can choose how they view news. Many operations think “Web-first,” and embrace social media. Convergence involves text, print, video and audio, the web and wireless devices.

Newspapers still provide deep and regular coverage that can’t easily be achieved online.

News outlets have embraced citizen journalism as a fast way to get facts and photos, but it can pose risk of inaccuracy. Journalists jobs have adapted to moderate and edit this information flow for publication.

Some news outlets are for-profit; others are not-for-profit. Some not-for-profits are financially successful due to funding and advertising, and others are more focused on journalism without desiring to make a profit.

What this means to me: I need to think outside of purely print news. Even though I want to write rather than broadcast, I need to be well-rounded in many areas to be a successful journalist in today’s world.