Social Media & the News

Perhaps no topic in technology attracted more attention in 2011 than the rise of social media and its potential impact on news. “If searching for news was the most important development of the last decade, sharing news may be among the most important of the next,” we wrote in a May 2011 report analyzing online news behavior called Navigating News Online.

The migration of audiences toward digital news advanced to a new level in 2011 and early 2012, the era of mobile and multidigital devices. More than three-quarters of U.S. adults own laptop or desktop computers, a number that has been stable for some years.1 Now, in addition, 44% of adults own a smartphone, and the number of tablet owners grew by about 50% since the summer of 2011, to 18% of Americans over age 18.

After the furor over its decision to defund Planned Parenthood, the Susan G. Komen foundation reversed course and a key official resigned.

What stories and which people generated the most news coverage in 2011? PEJ's annual Year in the News report offers answers. The Year in News 2011 Interactive allows users to explore the data for themselves.

The internet is the source that people most rely on for material about the local business scene and search engines are particularly valued.

A new PEJ study of the Twitter campaign conversation using computer technology reveals how the White House hopefuls fared, examines differences between the political discussions on Twitter and blogs, and updates the tone of the candidates’ news narratives.

Twitter has been embraced by news organizations today, but is used in limited ways, according to a new study by the Project for Excellence in Journalism and The George Washington University.

Key findings from a survey report on tablet news consumption by the Project for Excellence in collaboration with the Economist Group.

How do people get news and information about the community where they live? Traditional research has suggested that Americans watch local TV news more than any other local information source. But a new report by the PEJ and the Pew Internet and American Life Project, in association with the Knight Foundation offers a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the ecosystem of community information.

The future of the journalism relies heavily on understanding the ways people consume news online. But mastering that information is challenging. Behavior is changing quickly, and the metrics can be elusive and even contradictory. In a new study, PEJ examines Nielsen data from the top 25 most popular news sites to offer insights about how people get to news sites; what they do once there and where they go when they leave.