News definitions and motivations: young people and adults in Portugal and in Estonia (original) (raw)
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News definitions and motivations: youth and adults in Portugal and in Estonia
Estudos em comunicação, 2018
How do young people and adults define news? What motivates them to consume news? These questions guide this research, based on interviews with Portuguese and Estonian young people and adults. The motivations for news consumption can be related to normative pressures to fulfil particular social roles and personal needs related to one's life-world. The diversity of the definitions of news seems to be broader in Portugal, whereas in Estonia, news definitions are based on professional concepts of news and are regarded as synonymous with educational content. The results indicate stronger age differences in news definitions in Portugal than in Estonia. However, considering the massive changes in Europe over the past three decades, including varied integration processes and the advent of the Internet, we contend that digital media are continually producing more similarities in news consumption by audiences in different countries. This influence is relevant to understanding the media options in other European countries.
Comparison of news consumption on online among Estonian and Portuguese audience
2017
Kõuts-Klemm, R. & Brites, M.J. (2017). Comparison of news consumption on online among Estonian and Portuguese audience. Participations. Journal of Audience & Reception Studies, 14, 2, 464-483. ISSN 1749-87163. URL: http://www.participations.org/Volume%2014/Issue%202/23.pdf In this article we argue for the relevance of the internet in the convergence of news consumption in crosscountry research in Estonia and Portugal. Being different in their histories and media systems, the comparative research revealed similarities in people's news repertoires in the two countries, which led to interesting conclusions about the changes in audiences' news universes. In comparing the repertoires special attention was given to online journalism content: why people use this content, how they evaluate the credibility of the news, and how they make sense of their news selections. The results show that online news repertoires are converging across the two countries, especially in repertoires where consumers are focused on the quality of news, but also to some extent in cases where they mostly got news from social media.
Participations: Journal of Audience & Reception Studies, 2017
In this article we argue for the relevance of the internet in the convergence of news consumption in crosscountry research in Estonia and Portugal. Being different in their histories and media systems, the comparative research revealed similarities in people's news repertoires in the two countries, which led to interesting conclusions about the changes in audiences' news universes. In comparing the repertoires special attention was given to online journalism content: why people use this content, how they evaluate the credibility of the news, and how they make sense of their news selections. The results show that online news repertoires are converging across the two countries, especially in repertoires where consumers are focused on the quality of news, but also to some extent in cases where they mostly got news from social media.
Reporters of the future: News consumption among journalism students in Portugal
Doxa Comunicación, 2024
Understanding journalism students' perceptions of their news consumption is fundamental for defining media strategy and new professional profiles. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to analyze the relationship between Portuguese journalism students and news. To achieve this goal, an online survey was conducted. The analyzed database comprises 449 responses from students representing all regions of the country. This dataset constitutes the largest and most diverse national sample to date for analyzing this research topic in Portugal. The findings indicate that the majority of respondents do not read printed newspapers and magazines, instead preferring to obtain information via traditional media websites, digital platforms, and social media. While the frequency of reading starts off relatively low, there is an observed increase as students advance through their journalism courses. For these young people, the consumption of news is primarily centered on digital platforms, with television being the last traditional medium to have a significant impact.
Young people's news orientations and uses of traditional and new media for news
Communications
This article reports on Flemish college students’ news orientations and their uses of traditional and new media for news within a public service media environment. We used five homogeneous focus groups that covered variation in news media use. The analysis of the focus groups revealed major differences in news behaviors and attitudes between participants who mainly depended on traditional media for news, and those who also went online for news. While a growing body of research reports on young people’s increasing use of online media for news, particularly among those that are most disengaged with traditional news media, our findings indicated that only the most eager news-users were motivated to gather information online. Additionally, we found that traditional media, in particular national quality papers and the Flemish public service newscast, were still the main reference points for public affairs information among our participants.
"My own news": journalism and the Brazilian and Portuguese young public in a digital context
Intercom - Revista Brasileira de Ciências da Comunicação (quartely publication of the Brazilian Society for the Interdisciplinary Studies in Communication), 2019
The aim of this work is to investigate the consumption of general news by Brazilian and Portuguese adolescents and older children who have access to digital technologies, in a comparative perspective. By doing interviews and focus groups, we identify that the term "news" is sometimes understood as something that goes beyond the journalism sphere (but is always linked to something new, interesting and true to the children). The youngest also reject or neglect traditional press sometimes. From this, we argue that journalistic products should be more transparent in constructing news discourse, as this may help younger readers to better understand the basic elements (and hence the social role) of journalism, mainly in the digital environment.
Beyond newspapers: news consumption among young people in the digital era
Comunicar, 39, 2012
News consumption is undergoing great changes due to the advance of digitisation. In this context, ascertaining the changes in readers' consumption habits is essential for measuring the scope and effects of digital convergence and the outlook for the future. This article aims to analyse this transformation in the specific case of young people's relationship with news reporting. The methodology is based on a quantitative survey of people aged between 16 and 30 (N=549) in order to examine their consumer habits and perceptions. The results show the emergence of social networks as a news medium and the decline of traditional media, and newspapers in particular. However, we observed a high level of interest in news stories and their positive valuation in civic terms on the part of young people. These data also reveal the obvious appeal of cost-free content. Finally, the results highlight the gender gap with men as the greater news consumers, and the impact of age, with news consumption increasing as young people mature. The conclusions of this research suggest that profound changes are emerging in news consumption patterns and the concept of news among young people.
Communication Today, 2022
The purpose of the study is to examine and compare digital users’ motivations for news exposure in three European countries (Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom) belonging to each of Hallin and Mancini’s media systems. For this research, a cross-national online survey (2020) of over 2,000 people in each country was used. The users’ assessment of the preferences for getting news (from sources that share, challenge or do not have a particular point of view) was analysed, as well as the influence of socio-demographic factors and interest in politics on those motivations. Our results show that a majority of digital users prefer unbiased news. With respect to the socio-demographic variables, a clear pattern can be discerned in the age variable, whereby the older they are, the greater the declared preference for unbiased news. On the other hand, those who show greater interest in politics do prefer reinforcing news. In terms of national differences, motivations for news exposure vary depending on the country studied. In Spain, in line with its belonging to the pluralist-polarised system, the preference for reinforcing news is higher than in Germany and in the United Kingdom.
Observatorio (OBS*), 2010
In search of a better understanding of young people's news media consumption in a European highmedia environment, this study analysed the role of uses and gratifications motivations in driving time spent with television news, newspapers, and online news sites, while controlling for the effects of possible influential socio-demographics. Our findings confirmed that the need to get information about the world or one's environment is the strongest uses and gratifications predictor for time spent on television news, newspapers, and online news sites. Nevertheless, young people's news consumption is also driven by 'diversion' needs. Especially television news, which young people also watch to escape from the daily routine or to be entertained. One of the conclusions we can draw from these results is that traditional and online news platforms, although serving some needs that are mutually exclusive, overall are being consulted in search of the same gratifications, respectively information/surveillance and diversion gratifications. Nevertheless, the use of online news was not found to diminish the use of traditional news platforms. On the contrary, we found that the use of television news enhanced the use of online news and vice versa. These findings confirm young people's complementary use of traditional and online news platforms.