Student panelists predict demand for online news
By Ashley Sager
“I really don’t read a lot of print newspapers,” said CSU senior Michelle McCafferty at the City Club of Cleveland during a panel discussion titled “In Their Words: Teens as Media Consumers and Predictors” on March 15. “I get most of that news online.”
Other panelists were Reid FitzGerald, a junior at Lakewood High School, and Katie Mahoney, a John Carroll University student and the managing editor of The Carroll News. McCafferty is a reporter for The Cleveland Stater and news editor of The Cauldron.
The future of news media would consist primarily of the Internet, the panelists predicted at the event.
The program was the final segment of the four-part lecture series “The Future of News Media,” which was organized the Society of Professional Journalists to discuss the future of the news media.
The panel discussion addressed the use of the Internet, television, radio and print media. “There are a lot of students that still pick up a paper, like to have it in front of them, carry it with them, and read it when they have time,” said Mahoney who conducted a survey of the John Carroll campus. “But for a lot of students, it’s the Internet.”
FitzGerald agreed with Mahoney and McCafferty.
“More and more I see myself using the Internet at school and at home,” said FitzGerald. “It’s turning towards a place where I can find more and more media, more and more entertainment.”
FitzGerald also touched on the practicality of using Facebook and MySpace as news outlets. He said more than half of the students at Lakewood High School are on Facebook or MySpace. Not only are those Web sites used to communicate amongst each other, but are also used to find out local events.
“I get more personal news from that,” he said.
Fitzgerald also shares videos from You Tube and articles via Facebook.
“Facebook has a feature that makes it easy,” he said. “It’s called ‘Share’ on Facebook.”
The Internet is only one source to relay news.
Both McCafferty and Mahoney said that television visualizes emotions, which can be more powerful. “There are certain things that can’t be put into words that can be seen on TV,” said McCafferty.
When the panelists were asked about Sirius radio, they said it is not the primary news source for them. Mahoney said the use of Sirius radio is primarily for out of town news and sports updates.
In regards to attracting younger consumers to mainstream media, McCafferty suggested tailoring the news to a younger market. Mahoney agreed with McCafferty’s views, adding that the media must attract a new audience without losing the audience they already have.
Dr. Richard D. Hendrickson, assistant professor of communications at John Carroll, moderated the discussion,
Among the attendees were representatives from WKYC-TV3, INFOhio, Cleveland State University, Cleveland Institute of Art and Kent State University.