Where do you get your news?
Critical Analysis
According to the data from the chart above, where do most American adults get their news?
According to the data from the chart above, what is the gap (difference between) the percent of Americans who get their news in print and those who get their news from a smartphone, computer, or tablet?
What is the big story this chart tells about American media and news?
What is one political consequence of Americans’ overwhelming preference for digital news?
Within a few days of the passage of the U.S. Constitution, Americans could read the entire printed version of the Constitution. Now, we have even faster and more universal access to information and news. Explain whether you think a larger portion of the population had read the Constitution in 1787, or has read it today.
Where do you get most of your news and how does that compare to your parents and grandparents?
What would you consider the biggest two differences between news in newspaper versus news online?
How do you think the information contained in this chart impacts the U.S. political process?
Imagine that we lived in an era without online news (no Twitter, facebook, snapchat, TikTok- Douyin!!!!). How would that impact American politics?
We know that many people simply watch news that reinforces their political biases. This is called selective exposure. In other words, Conservatives watch conservative news, and liberals watch liberal news. Nobody changes their mind. Explain how much of the news you watch simply reinforces the political views you already possess and describe the impact of selective exposure on American politics.
Learning Extension
Check out the latest Pew Report and TikTok dance on where Americans get their news. Pew Report on the growth of online news and also the Pew Research Center digital news fact sheet!
Action Extension
Change your news platform for one week (e.g. if you mostly get your news online, use radio as your main news source) and share how this impacted your view of the news.
Visual Extension*
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