Journalism Students Don’t Read Newspapers Says QUT Journalism Professor
Tech Wired has interviewed Professor Alan Knight, you can listen here.
It’s all about who you ask when it comes to newspapers dying, especially in Australia. When 200 journalism students were surveyed at Queensland University of Technology asking what their main source of news was, it certainly seemed the case of a dying era for newspapers.
Professor Alan Knight of QUT found that 90 per cent of students do not like reading the newspaper, preferring commercial television and online news.
“More than 90 per cent of the respondents were aged under 21 and many of these want-to-be journalists don’t read newspapers,” said Professor Knight of Queensland University of Technology.
He points out that the survey was not aimed particularly aimed at journalism students, but those in the age bracket of 17 to 19 years.
Mr Knight told Tech Wired that the results were not surprising, but had this to say:
“On the web anyone can say anything they like, which is why so much material on the web is rubbish”
When questioned about a recent ACMA survey that found the Internet as Australia’s most trusted medium Alan replied:
“Good luck with that”
When asked where these journalism students were heading if newspapers were not their main source he replied:
“Commercial TV, of which is not the best source at all I’d have to say, but they’re heading away from newspapers,”
“I guess the point of this study was to see if 17, 18 and 19 year olds were reading newspapers”
Professor Alan Knight will be publishing his full report in July.
I agree. As much as the medium of paper and ink newspapers is becoming less popular, it is still the best source for news.
This is especially true for publications like the SMH and the Financial Review. The accountability of print journalists is huge. They don’t always get it right, but the only reason the internet gets it right is because there’s enough small operators out there that someone is bound to be right at some point.
Until online resources emerge with the same accountability and credibility as newspapers, I’m still only going to trust them so far, and that’s coming from someone who has been labeled a citizen journalist far too many times.
By the way, nice site revamp.
Many students these days (and I teach in communications) don’t read anything – even their “readings” – so what hope for them to read newspapers? That’s hard work, Alan. It’s a sad state of affairs. They just sit there in class and it seems as though they expect a miracle (i.e., that knowledge will come to them by sitting there). And don’t get me started on essay-writing. Some can’t even get alphabetical referencing correct.