Author Date

2023-3

Degree Name

Department

Communications

College

Fine Arts and Communications

Defense Date

2023-03-07

Publication Date

2023-03-13

First Faculty Advisor

Dr. Miles Romney

First Faculty Reader

Dr. Kevin John

Honors Coordinator

Dr. Pamela Brubaker

Keywords

journalism, media literacy, social media, politics, news media, broadcast

Abstract

This thesis analyzes the correlation between age, political leaning, and the way people interact with news media by examining data from a sample survey of 254 news consumers. Results indicate that older and/or more conservative people are more likely to get their news from print newspapers, cable news, broadcast, and radio, while younger and/or more progressive individuals are more likely to get their news from social media. Younger and/or more progressive people are also more likely to trust the news than their older and/or more conservative counterparts. Subjects across the board preferred reading articles to watching the news, with no significant correlation to their age or political leaning. When presented with the option to read an article, watch a video, or do both in the same news package, more than half of subjects preferred to only read the article. A correlation was also found between older and/or more conservative individuals and a preference for reading the article but not watching the accompanying video.