A new Pew Research study shows that while new media still relies on old media for information, mainstream news outlets didn't "follow new media's agenda." Mainstream would do well to do so. Pew found only one story, the controversy related to emails from climate change researchers, that was a major story first on the blogs before it later gained more attention from traditional media. Pew Center's deputy director, Amy Mitchell believes that "As social media sites and tools continue to evolve, so too will the interplay among new and traditional outlets and citizen's relationship to the news." The study found that blogs in particular still rely on traditional news sources such as newspapers and broadcast news outlets for their information. More than 99% of the stories linked to on blogs came from traditional news sources, with 80% of those links coming from the BBC, CNN, the New York Times and the Washington Post. Only 50% of Twitter Tweets were linked to "legacy" sources...
The Pew study found the three types of new media differed in their news agendas, with blogs - evenly split among conservatives and liberals, "gravitating toward stories that elicited emotion, concerned individual or group rights or triggered ideological passion." Twitter posts tended to focus on passing on important information, while YouTube users engaging not through comments but through selection and sharing" of videos, according to the center. The study covered the news linked to millions of blogs and social media pages tracked by Icerocket and Technorati for one year starting in January 19, 2009 and ending on January 15, 2010, and also studied YouTube's news channel videos during the same period. It examined news stories linked to in Tweets and monitored from June 15, 2009 through January 15, 2010...
While the results of this Pew study are valuable, it doesn't take an elaborate research project to find the pulse of social websites. It's pure emotion. People are more candid on social nets then they are face-to-face. Bloggers, for the most part - have an agenda while social network users are consumed with passing on their own personal information, whether you care to share it or not. This includes ego-driven celebrities, too. Quotes from sports stars made on social networks often appear in newspapers and magazines. As the line between traditional media news and new media news becomes thinner, instead of just plugging their social network links, radio and TV should also be reading public blogs and checking the social links for stories...
10 Timeline Memories...
1.1925] Guilty as charged: John T. Scopes is indicted in Tennessee for teaching 'Darwin's theory of evolution'...
2.1935] Bye bye Bab(e)y: Babe Ruth hits his 714th and final home run as a member of the Boston Braves. The blast reportedly traveled more than 600 feet...
3.1951] Say Hey: Future Baseball Hall of Famer Willie Mays debuts with the New York Giants...
4.1961] To the moon Alice: President John F. Kennedy asks America to work toward putting a man on the moon...
5.1969] Everybody's Talking: "Midnight Cowboy" premieres in New York City. Ron Lundy's voice is heard in this clip...
6.1978] Eclipse of the moon: Keith Moon plays with The Who for the last time. In September he will OD at 32...
7.1979] Tragedy at O'Hare: An American Airlines DC-10 crashes on takeoff from O'Hare International in Chicago killing all 271 on board and 2 on the ground...
8.1986] Put your hand in the hand: An estimated 7 million people form a line for "Hands Across America" to raise money for the nation's hungry and homeless...
9.1992] He's baaack: Jay Leno debuts as the new host of NBC-TV's "Tonight Show", succeeding Johnny Carson...
10.2006] Gotcha: Former Enron Corp. chiefs Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling are convicted of conspiracy and fraud for the company's downfall. Skilling is sentenced to 24 years in prison; Lay died before he could be sentenced...
Music Memories:
•1962] Released on this date: "Twist and Shout" - Isley Brothers...1968] "Jumping Jack Flash" - Rolling Stones...
•1969] Recorded on this date: "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" -Hollies...
•1975] #1 on this date: "Before The Next Teardrop Falls" - Freddy Fender...1983] "Flashdance...What a Feeling" - Irene Cara...
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Anne Heche (41), Mike Myers (47), Karen Valentine (63), Leslie Uggams (67), Jessi Colter (67), Tom T. Hall (74), Cookie Gilchrist (75), K.C. Jones (78) and Hal David (89)...
Timeline Countdown: 6 days until Memorial Day, 11 days until the Belmont Stakes, 26 days until Father's Day & 27 days until summer...
