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.
Tech Wired Australia
Host: Ben Grubb
Guest: Prof Alan Knight
Topic discussed:
Journalism students ‘don’t read papers’
