Internet Trumps TV, Newspapers For News

Americans feel they are better-informed than ever, and devote more attention to getting news, according to a new survey by Rasmussen Reports. But that's cold comfort for traditional media like print newspapers and radio, since it mostly reflects the rapid growth of Internet news, including a fair number of Web sites maintained by publishers and broadcasters.

Overall, 67% of Rasmussen's survey respondents said they considered themselves better-informed now than they were a decade ago, thanks largely to the easy availability of constantly updated news and information online. That compares with 8% who feel they are less informed than 10 years ago, and 22% who think there has been no change. The researcher surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults about their news consumption habits via phone on September 15-16. In terms of news sources, 44% said the Internet is the best news medium, compared to 36% for TV and just 11% for print newspapers. Radio trailed at a distant 9%. However, the Rasmussen respondents also expressed distrust of information they find online, with just 29% rating the Internet a "reliable" source of news, compared to 40% for broadcast news and 21% for newspapers. These apparent contradictions suggest that news consumers draw a distinction between availability and ease of access on the one hand, and credibility on the other.