By: Greg Mitchell Americans are more likely to get their news from local TV and newspapers than national sources, according to a Gallup Poll released today. But of all sources, only news on the Internet is gaining in popularity.
The poll found that 51% say they get news from local TV every day, with 44% saying they get it from local newspapers. Lagging are cable news channels, at 39%, and network newscasts, at 36%.
An additional 14% say they get news from newspapers several times a week, bringing that total to 58%.
But every source has fallen somewhat since 2002, with only news on the Internet gaining, from 15% going there every day two years ago to 20% doing so today.
Some sources dropped heavily: National newspapers are off 4%, from 11% to 7%; NPR is off 5%; local TV news is down 6%; network news down 7%; and PBS news plunged 8%. In that company, local newspapers are doing fairly well, only dropping 3%. Cable news dropped 2%.
The percentage of those consulting a newspaper daily was at 54% in 1999, so the falloff has slowed lately.
Contrary to many assessments, young people do not consult Internet news more often than other sources, Gallup found. For those 18 to 29, only 21% said they looked at Web news daily, not much different than the 19% of those 50 to 64 who do so. In that younger age group, local TV news was most popular, at 33% daily usage, with local newspapers just off the pace, at 32%. Both far outdistanced the Net, even among youth.
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