Nearly half of online users turn to Internet news sources for quick headlines and details. But television remains the overwhelmingly popular source for breaking news, according to a survey issued Tuesday.
Market-research firm Jupiter Communications polled more than 2,200 surfers about their news-consumption habits. The New York-based new-media analysts found that almost half of online users now read news at directories, like Yahoo, Microsoft's MSN, or Lycos (which is in the process of acquiring Wired News). Forty percent turn to online services, such as America Online.
Online newshounds' appetite for analysis is limited, and they spend less than 10 minutes viewing news, according to the survey.
Mark Mooradian, Jupiter's consumer content strategies director, said the finding "shows that many online users choose to use online news as a source for quick headlines and breaking news, not for deep analysis."
The survey, done in conjunction with Greenwich, Connecticut-based market research firm NFO, was presented at the Jupiter Digital News Forum in Atlanta to an audience of members of mainstream and online news organizations.
Broadcast news remains the viewing choice of 39 percent of those surveyed, while 37 percent of the audience turn to cable television. Online news has begun to outpace radio, newspapers, and other media for the first word on important stories, Jupiter said.
The report found 61 percent of the online audience looked for national and international news, followed by business news (39 percent), sports (34.4 percent), entertainment news (31.3 percent), local news (25.9 percent), and technology news (20.6 percent).
The research also showed the growing popularity of newswires, like the Associated Press, Bloomberg, and Reuters. Such services traditionally served news providers and reached consumers only indirectly, the report noted.
Copyright© 1998 Reuters Limited.
