How Blogs and Social Media Agendas Relate and Differ from the Traditional Press

News today is increasingly a shared, social experience. Half of Americans say they rely on the people around them to find out at least some of the news they need to know.

Some 44% of online news users get news at least a few times a week through emails, automatic updates or posts from social networking sites. In 2009, Twitter's monthly audience increased by 200%. While most original reporting still comes from traditional journalists, technology makes it increasingly possible for the actions of citizens to influence a story's total impact. What types of news stories do consumers share and discuss the most? What issues do they have less interest in? What is the interplay of the various new media platforms? And how do their agendas compare with that of the mainstream press? To answer these questions, the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism has gathered a year of data on the top news stories discussed and linked to on blogs and social media pages and seven months' worth on Twitter. Pew also have analyzed a year of the most viewed news-related videos on YouTube. Several clear trends emerge.