Internet overtakes newspapers as national, international news source

In yet another sign of the changing media times, newspapers have slipped to third among sources for national and international news, according to the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.

When asked "Where do you get most of your national and international news," 70 percent of the national survey respondents cited television, 40 percent the internet and 35 percent newspapers. It was the first time in the annual Pew research results the internet ranked higher than newspapers on the national and international news question.

Among 18 to 29 year olds, the shift to the Internet is even more pronounced. Asked what is their main source of news, 59 percent cited television, 59 percent the internet, 28 percent newspapers, 18 percent radio, and 4 percent magazines.

Even though "television" ranks high as a source of national and international news, network news – ABC (11 percent), CBS (8 percent), and NBC (13 percent) - ranked below CNN Cable (22 percent) and Fox News Cable Channel (16 percent). "Local news programming" was cited by 18 percent of the respondents.

For the full Pew research report, download the attachments at the bottom of this article.

Des Moines, Iowa City newspaper employees to take one week furlough without pay

As part of Gannett Corporation's company-wide cost-cutting efforts, all Des Moines Register and Iowa City Press-Citizen employees will take a one-week unpaid furlough during the first quarter.

The furlough plan was announced Wednesday (1/14) and will affect 800 full- and part-time employees at the two newspapers.

About 800 full- and part-time employees at the Register, the Press-Citizen and the Register’s weekly papers must take one week without pay as part of the program. The company said it will ask the unionized members of the papers to accept the same furloughs.

Lee Enterprises' Billings and Casper newspapers announce layoffs

Two Lee Enterprise newspapers, the Billings (MT) Gazette and Casper (WY) Star-Tribune, announced layoffs earlier this week.

The Billing newspaper laid off four full- and four part-time employees and the Star-Tribune announced it was laying off 15 employees, including three newsroom staff, because of the poor economy. The Gazette has a daily circulation of nearly 44,000, and the Casper paper has nearly 28,000 subscribers.

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