News consumers between the ages of 18 and 34 experience “news fatigue” and want to read more in-depth stories, according to a study conducted by a Baltimore research firm and released Monday at the World Editors Forum in Sweden.
Context-Based Research Group, a Baltimore-based ethnographic research and consulting firm, completed the study commissioned by The Associated Press to understand news consumption behaviors in young people.
The local firm did research in Houston, Silicon Valley, Philadelphia and Kansas City, Mo., in the United States; and overseas in Brighton, Britain, and Hyderabad, India. The researchers noted the news habits of young consumers were dramatically different from those of previous generations, driving the shift from traditional media to digital news.
The research helped the AP design a new model for news delivery, said Jim Kennedy, director of strategic planning for the AP.
“Ultimately, this deep dive helped reshape our thinking about journalism in the digital age,” Kennedy said. “We believe the findings and proposed model will help news organizations better meet the needs of today?s media consumers.”
The new model includes what the AP calls “1-2-3 filing,” starting with a news alert headline for breaking news, followed by a short present-tense story that is usable on the Web and by broadcasters. The third step is to add details and format stories in ways most appropriate for various news platforms.
Subjects of the study experienced “news fatigue,” meaning they were overloaded with facts and had trouble finding more in-depth stories, which study participants reported wanting over brief updates and quick-hit stories.
The study also showed news is “multitasked,” meaning participants in the study almost always consumed news as part of another set of activities, and news is connected to e-mail, as many participants digested news alongside their e-mail.
“Our observations and analysis identified that consumers? news diets are out of balance due to the overconsumption of facts and headlines,” said Robbie Blinkoff, co-founder and principal anthropologist at Context-Based Research Group.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
