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Neirad Enilno Reporter Annie Meyjes takes a look at how teenagers are changing the face of the news industry.
NEIRAD enilno edition
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No news is good news it seems to many teenagers these days. Traditional news sources for Generation X such as radio and newspapers are seeing a decline in popularity among the next generation of users: a group that has come to be known as Generation C.
Jaime Smith, a 14-year-old student at King Low Heywood Thomas School, says the only reason she looks at the news is for a current events project in school. "I wish I knew more about what was going on, but at the same time, I feel like news takes too much involvement. It would be great if I had just a sheet of paper on my kitchen table every morning telling me the headlines, or something like that at least."
Olivia Hompe, 13, of New Canaan Country School agrees. "If I could, I would love to have a free feature on my phone that showed me the basics."
But there are the holdouts. Even though the number of American newspapers has been dropping one percent a year over the past 20 years, DHS freshmen Lisa Randall still feels like a traditional newspaper is the best place to go for a trusted source of news. "Really, I come home from school every day and read the newspaper. I know it sounds like a thing of the past, but I still do it. And I also sometimes watch the news at dinner with my sister. The news is good for me." Randall said.
A Neirad Enlino poll of a group of 11-year-old boys demonstrated the majority had no idea what was going on in news. When told about a new website that presented daily news in a somewhat humorous manner, the boys all agreed that the site, Rocketboom, was a great thing. "I definitely want to try that place to get the news. My parents keep telling me I need to be more aware, and this is a way to please them," said Austen Tibbetts, to the nods of his friend's heads.
According to a recent Medill School of Journalism survey of more than 4,000 young people, they found some key factors that define young news consumers. For example, this generation is not prepared to sit passively watching the news. They want to drive content: make their own videos; respond to message boards and even post blog entries. They do not do appointment viewing. News is no longer a one-way flow of information controlled by powerful media.
Even though the majority of teenagers do not go to traditional news sources, it seems that part of the reason is that getting it is too complicated for a generation accustomed to having the news when they want it. Experts call this age group Generation C (for Content). They claim that this age likes what they like and rarely stray from their determined tastes. But it appears that this is not necessarily the case if a product presents easy access. Teenagers like the news, but won’t bother if accessibility is a challenge. They want it simpler, faster and presented in an easy-to-digest format. Maybe Generation C should be called Generation N (for Needs to be easier).
