Journalists' Use of Internet at All-Time High
Posted on April 13, 2001
Results from a recent Middleberg/Ross survey of the media's online habits show that journalists' use of the Internet has grown dramatically since the survey's inception seven years ago. Reporters and editors' use of the Net for email, article research, and finding story ideas, new sources and press releases is at an all-time high, according to the survey, the Seventh Annual Middleberg/Ross Survey of Media in the Wired World. The study was conducted by Don Middleberg, chairman and CEO of Middleberg Euro RSCG, a communications firm, and Steve Ross, associate professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
For example, nearly all respondents (more than 98 percent) go online at least daily to check for email, and spend 15 hours a week reading and sending email. Seventy percent of the journalists say they or their colleagues engage in dialogues with readers via email and discussion groups. In 1995, 59 percent of respondents reported they used email. For article research, 92 percent of the respondents say they go online for this purpose in 2000, compared with 66 percent of respondents in 1995.
Key findings include:
- Journalists believe the Internet has made their jobs easier and improved the quality of their work.
- Seventy-one percent of respondents say they lack training in computer-assisted reporting, and of those who have received it, almost half got it on their own initiative.
- Of print respondents, 81 percent are searching online daily, yet journalists rarely use topic-specific search engines and lack knowledge about specialized websites, which are proliferating and necessary.
- When it comes to using Web chat or newsgroup postings as primary or secondary sources, only 44 percent say they would not consider doing so, and 47 percent say they would consider reporting or spreading a story that started on the Net if confirmed by an independent source.
- Email and article research are the most popular uses of the Internet, but going online for new sources, story pitches and press releases are all popular uses and all are increasing in prevalence.
- Corporate websites are a key source of information when reporting breaking news when no other primary source is available.
- Only 32 percent say their organizations are preparing for higher Web bandwidth (68 percent say no), and while many believe consumers will want content via wireless, few say their organizations are actively planning to provide it.
This year, for the first time, the study successfully combined the responses of print and broadcast journalists, and sought journalists' views on how the Net has affected their jobs and how equipped they are to use new technological tools. Following up on previous surveys, the study also looked at trends in reporting online rumors and using the Net to search for contacts and ideas, report breaking stories, communicate with readers and conduct interviews.
``Journalists who use the Internet have not kept up with its myriad offerings because of an embarrassingly small amount of resources devoted to training,'' said Columbia's Prof. Ross. ``Due to this lack of training and to an abundance of competitive pressures, journalists seem blind to many of the ethical issues and dangers professional use of the Internet presents. They repeat rumors that originate online, are increasingly willing to use email for interviewing, and are unwilling to expand their readers' understanding by linking to other sites, even when the sites are not competitors.''
The results are based on more than 500 journalists working at newspapers, magazines and broadcast outlets nationwide. The trend data is based on responses from the last seven years, totaling to approximately 4,000 responses. Steven S. Ross is a graduate of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, where he has been an associate professor of professional practice for 15 years teaching new media, national reporting and computer-assisted reporting. Founder and CEO of the 120-person communications agency Middleberg Euro RSCG, Don Middleberg is regarded as one of the nation's leading executives in public relations and marketing.