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Join TSPR for a weekly conversation about media issues. News Director Rich Egger and expert panelists discuss what’s in the news about the news business.

Troubling Trend for the News Industry

The Shop Talk panelists discuss a study by the Pew Research Center, which found younger Americans are barely increasing their news consumption as they grow older.

Panelist Lisa Kernek said Gen Xers and Millennials might be spending less time with the news because the quality of reporting has dropped due to staff cutbacks. 

Panelist Jasmine Garcia questioned the sample size and the accuracy of the survey results. She knows many Gen Xers and Millennials who are interested in news. However, she acknowledged that perception might be skewed a bit because she’s teaching young journalists who -- by the nature of their major -- should be interested in the news.

Garcia also said many younger adults consume news via social media and share it through social media, and it’s possible the survey did not take into account the different ways that people are consuming news today.

Kernek also believes students are doing a lot of reading on-line, and said she knows many students who follow the news.

Panelist Rich Egger believes the danger comes from the cherry-picking of news shared via social media. He said that can provide people with information on issues they’re already interested in or with views they already share, but it might not provide information on matters they don’t know about or should be interested in.

Rich is TSPR's News Director.