ASNE Convention 2012

ASNE's annual convention is the largest annual gathering of newsroom leaders from daily newspapers and other news organizations. At ASNE 2012, editors and leaders in the field of journalism education will gather for programs focused on "What It Takes" to lead the digital and mobile transformation of a modern newsroom.

How news consumption is being transformed

By Sarah Hogue

Roger Fidler of the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute and Mike Jenner of the Missouri School of Journalism showed data indicating that news consumption is beginning to fall heavily into the electronic mobile medium.

In a survey of 1,015 people, Fidler said 57 percent of people who use tablets to view news do so on websites rather than apps. He said he expects use of news apps to gain popularity as they become streamlined and more interesting graphically.

Fidler said that 53 percent prefer reading the newspaper on a mobile device than in print and are beginning to take the electronic medium more seriously. They also still expect the same level of quality that print newspapers provide. Seventy-three percent agreed that professional journalists play a vital role in society, and 63 percent prefer getting news from them.

Although the majority of respondents use electronic media to view news now, 45 percent disagreed with the idea that in the next 10 years they will get all their news from mobile devices.

Jenner discussed growing use of digital news by newspapers. Now, 62 percent of dailies with a circulation of 25,000 or more have a mobile app, and 59 percent of the rest plan to get one, he said.

In terms of revenue, Jenner found that three-fourths of papers make 75 percent of their revenue from print. But he said he expects digital revenue to increase. He said he anticipated that tablets will be the primary revenue generator for digital content.

Sarah Hogue is a student at the University of Maryland. She is one of several local university journalism students reporting live from ASNE 2012 in Washington, D.C.

About Amanda Knowles

Amanda Knowles is Web & Social Media Manager at the Newspaper Association of America. Before coming to NAA, Amanda spent four years working in print journalism, both at the college and professional level. She has worked as a copy editor and news page designer for two daily newspapers in northwestern Pennsylvania, The Erie Times-News and The Meadville Tribune. Most recently, she collaborated on The American Observer, the online magazine edited and produced by graduate journalism students at American University in Washington, D.C. Amanda believes strongly in the secure future of the newspaper, and is excited to be a participant in the movement to integrate traditional print media into the burgeoning digital world.