Laurel Papworth

I always get into trouble for these types of posts. Something about me hating newspapers (I don’t), promoting blogger vs journos war (I’m not). But hey ho. *dons flak jacket*

Here I am using my two unread newspapers as a thick place mat for my Christmas Eve Chinese lunch, and what should cross my desk: a new Pew study showing that the Internet has surpassed newspapers as Americans’ main source for national and international news.

How appropriate–albeit a little sad for this ol’ school journalist who still romanticizes about the days when you could truly stop the presses.

Anyone notice how much Twitter has been in the news lately? o.O The ‘breaking news source’ according to one Brit newspaper. CNN had this to say:

The minute news broke of the terrorist attacks on Mumbai, India, social media sites like Twitter were inundated with a huge volume of messages.

With more than 6 million members worldwide, an estimated 80 messages, or “tweets,” were being sent to Twitter.com via SMS every five seconds, providing eyewitness accounts and updates.

Intriguing that they don’t point out that most of us get our breaking news from friends. Unless you have the TV or radio on all day…?

Naughty Matthew Ingram puts some perspective on the ‘social breaking news’ phenomenon. I’m still not speaking to him – heh – but it’s a good piece.

Remember, 71% of Australians don’t trust the printed word. Many more trust online news. And the Pew study confirm that 2008 was the year that that view went global.

I don’t make the news, I just report it. Other people make the news. Though of course, they could report it themselves. heh. But it’s all got a bit boring – I mean, I could keep blogging the print media demise. Number of newspapers closing, journalists being laid off, statistics and reports, diminished trust, diminished revenue, Citizen Rupert speeches, but there are those who insist we’re making it up, to propagate some kind of blogger war. Why ‘massive drop in newspaper ad revenue’ equals ‘WTF OMG you bloggers hate mainstream media’ I don’t know.

Ah well. Merry Christmas!