• J-Source

    Two-thirds of Twitter users younger than 25

    Some other findings from a study by social media marketing firm Sysomos: More than 85 per cent of users rarely post (less than once a day) About five per cent of users account for 75 per cent of content Only six per cent of users have more than 100 followers.

  • J-Source

    Sports gambling common among sports reporters

    About 40 per cent of sports reporters gamble on sports, even though many admit it undermines their ability to report objectively, according to a survey of sports reporters conducted by the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State University. The survey results were published in the most recent issue of the International Journal of Sports Communication.

  • J-Source

    In Journal: Trauma, democracy, foreign ownership and war

    Articles published in the most recent issue of the Canadian Journal of Media Studies that may be of interest to the journalism community: “Informed Mutual Support: Options on Violence and Trauma from the Perspective of the Journalist”, by Robert M. Frank and Ross Perigoe “Covering Democracy: The coverage of FPTP vs. MMP in the Ontario…

  • J-Source

    People hardwired toward local and negative news

    Well, waddaya know? Journalism’s traditional and much-criticized tendency to attract readers by emphasing negativity and localism appears to have measurable, scientific merit. According to a study from the University of Missouri School of Journalism that measured physiological responses to different types of health stories, people are biologically hardwired to pay attention to news that’s close to home and potentially threatening.

  • J-Source

    Study of online news distribution underway

    “The OECD is conducting a study on the Future of News to which this discussion session contributes. Independent journalism and newspapers play an indispensable role in informing citizens. Yet currently the newsgathering and distribution process is undergoing deep changes. In OECD countries both the number of physical newspaper titles, their circulation and newspaper readership are…

  • J-Source

    Teen media usage not so different, study argues

    For many in the traditional media business, attracting young readers and viewers is like searching for the Holy Grail, a quest that never quite succeeds as hoped. However, according to How Teens Use Media, a new “myth-debunking” study by the Nielsen company, teens really aren’t that different from other people in how they interact with mass media.  “The fact is, teens are unique, but they are not…

  • J-Source

    In Journal: Online stories often unedited and selling news with slogans

    Selected stories from the most recent issue of the Newspaper Research Journal that may be of interest to the journalism community: Copy Editing Not Great Priority for Online Stories, by John Russial  An Analysis of Slogans Used to ‘Sell the News’, by Salma Ghanem and Kimberly Selber  Newspaper Managers Report Positive Attitudes about Blogs, by…

  • J-Source

    Most Canadians think tweeting is for birds

    Twitter may be a hot subject in many newsrooms, but in the real world … not so much. A recent survey of Canadians by Ipsos-Reid found just 26 per cent of respondents had ever heard of Twitter and only a teeny-tweety-tiny 1.45 per cent actually use it. Said a polling company spokesman: “The buzz (to) usage ratio is sort of…

  • J-Source

    News media pigged out on these ‘junk food’ stories

    The folks at Project Censored, who usually decry serious issues underplayed by mainstream media, have just released a top-ten list of “junk food stories” served and served again by the press during the past two years. See how many you gobbled up …  1.Olympic Medalist Michael Phelps Hits a Bong2. Jessica Simpson Gains Weight3. First Lady Michelle Obama’s Fashion Sense4. The Brangelina Twins5. Lindsay Lohan Dating…