The Internet Is Changing The News

A study published by Pew Research shows that the internet is changing the way people consume the news.  About two thirds of people are getting the news from both online and offline sources.  Even more interesting is that the Internet is now the third most popular news platform behind television news (both local and national).  
There does not seem to be one dominant source for news online nor a particular time of day.  Most people use two to five sources for online news (65%), and read the news when they get the opportunity during the day.  Only 17% said they get their news from reading a newspaper. Distinct trends on how people are consuming the news are emerging:  

Portable: 33% of cell phone owners now access news on their cell phones.

Personalized: 28% of internet users have customized their home page to include news from sources and on topics that particularly interest them.

Participatory: 37% of internet users have contributed to the creation of news, commented about it, or disseminated it via postings on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter.

Advertisers need to pay attention to these trends.  The local and national TV news slots are no longer prime time for advertisers.  Furthermore, the coming of the iPad, which I believe will be a game changer, may well bring life back to the newspapers if they handle it right.  A mix of the traditional and online formats to read the news is probably just what the consumer now wants.