Pew Research Center Study

Online Tops Papers As Political News Source

Though television remained the go-to source for news about political campaigns, Internet edged up slightly, drawing a quarter of Americans and passing local newspapers for the first time as a source of campaign news, according to the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.
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The Internet has put local newspapers in its rearview mirror and has its sights set on television as a source of political campaign news, according to a new study from the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.

Cable television leads the pack, with 36% of Americans getting their information on candidates and campaigns from cable news networks, down slightly from the 38% who got their political news from cable in 2008.

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Steeper drops were seen in local TV news and network news. Local TV news was a source for 32% of Americans, down sharply from 40% in 2008 and 48% in 2000. Network news also slipped, reaching 26%, down from 32% four years ago and 45% in 2000.

The Internet, on the other hand, has been steadily rising since 2000, when it was cited as a political news source by only 9% of the public. This year, it captured 25% of the public, basically flat from 24% in 2004, but switching places with local newspapers, which dropped to 20% from 31% in 2004, for the first time ever.

Perhaps more surprising is the decline in the number of people ages 18-29 who used the Internet as a source of political news. Only 29% turned to the Internet, down from 42% four years ago. Pew attributed the decline to a lack of interest in the 2012 campaign in the age group. Internet use increased in all other age groups.

Some 52% of Americans said they at least sometimes received their campaign news online from the websites of TV, newspaper, magazine or radio news organizations, while 36% said they got their news from Internet pureplays.

Social media sources were tapped by a relatively small audience. Facebook was a source of political news for 20% of Americans, while Twitter was used by only 5% of the public. Video site YouTube was cited by 15% of Americans as a source of campaign news.

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