When people were asked where they found out about news stories in a new Pew Research Center project, their answer was old media, predominantly newspapers. This is the headline table:

There are a number of potential flaws in this research (self-reporting, the selection of the stories monitored, the lack of distinction between news organisations’ online and offline presence, vested interests of the research organisation), but the gist of the results can’t be ignored. Even if these potential flaws meant new media was under-represented by 500%, it would still lag way behind print. People might find out about breaking stories online, but when they want more information, they don’t do a twitter search or find a relevant blog, they go to the old, trusted sources.

This might be expected to upset or disquiet a new media evangelist like myself. But it doesn’t. I am unsurprised by the figures. To me, it’s obvious:

• Online news is largely unfunded or underfunded or makes use of the resources put into creating offline products.
• Online is very good for niche topics that you won’t find in printed publications – badgers, anyone? Less good for generalist news, outside the online offerings provided by major news organisations as an adjunct to the main product.
• Online journalists don’t get the same access to sources or resources that established old media hacks do.

For most people, twitter and blog feeds, etc are a filter for news information – they point me towards interesting or important stories so I don’t have to do the heavy-lifting of reading all the stuff that isn’t relevant to me to find the nugget that is. That’s really valuable, but a different kind of value to that created by news organisations, a value that we’re still very cautious about putting a price on (hence the lack of investment, etc). Remember when that plane crashed into the Hudson river? And everyone marvelled at how the guy on an impromptu rescue ferry twitpiced his arrival on the scene? But, even if a re-tweet of that tweet was how you learned of the accident, what did you do then to find out more? I’m guessing here, but I don’t think it was a Google Blog Search.

picture credit: DRB62