E-Media Tidbits

Newspapers in Education These news orgs, and others, distribute discounted or free papers to schools via the Newspapers in Education project -- a smart move, judging by new research.

Today, Reuters reports on a survey of 1,262 teachers in grades 5-12 conducted in autumn 2006 by the Carnegie-Knight Task Force on the Future of Journalism Education. Apparently, 57 percent of teachers use Internet-based news in the classroom with some frequency. In comparison, a mere 28 percent use daily papers in class. Also, 31 percent use national TV news in class, while only 13% use local TV news in class.

Said one surveyed teacher: "Students do not relate to newspapers at all -- any more than they would to vinyl records."

According to Reuters, "Teachers prefer printed papers, but only eight percent said the newspaper was a student's preferred choice. Seventy-five percent placed it at the bottom of the student list. One of the main reasons local newspaper Web sites have not gained a foothold in U.S. schools is their failure to promote their use in the classroom, the study found. Many daily U.S. newspapers participate in a program called Newspapers in Education, which makes papers available at discounted rates for schools or for free."

It seems to me that trying to persuade K-12 students to prefer printed news is an exercise in futility. Think about where your audience is going and try to get there before they do -- or at least, don't fall too far behind them.

(Thanks to Jill Zimon for the survey link.)