Posted by NewspaperProject.org

According to New Harris Interactive Poll, Nearly 90% of Americans
Read and Rely on Local Newspapers

Nearly 90% of Americans continue to read and rely on their local newspaper, both in print and online, according to a new Harris Interactive survey commissioned by Parade Publications. These findings confirm that newspaper journalism has not lost its appeal to American consumers.

The survey also found that more Americans read a printed newspaper— both weekday and Sunday editions—than get their news from the Internet. The numbers break down like this: 65% of Americans read the printed newspaper on weekdays vs. 57% who get their news from online news sources; on Sundays, the figures are 63% and 41%, respectively.

“These are significant points in proving that newspapers are viable and their news gathering assets have never been more valuable,” says Randy Siegel, President of Parade Publications, an outspoken advocate for the newspaper industry and one of a group of executives who created The Newspaper Project.

Donna Barrett, CEO of Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc., adds, “Quality content is still king, and newspapers own the best news-gathering operations in their individual markets. Nearly all local news originates from newspaper journalists.”

The Harris Interactive study underscores that point: Newspapers (in print or online) come out above Internet news sites or blogs as sources for local news and information (74% vs. 37%), as well as national and world events (70% vs. 43%). Newspapers are the only media source used more for local news and information than for national and world news.

Other findings from the Harris Interactive survey:
• Newspapers are three times more likely than Internet news sites or blogs to be used by consumers as a primary source for local news and information;
• Newspapers are considered more trustworthy than Internet news sites or blogs by a 2-to-1 margin;
• Newspapers have better quality content than Internet news sites or blogs by a margin of 38 percent.

The survey was conducted among a nationally representative sample of 1,004 adults age 18 and over between March 19-March 22, 2009, with a margin of error of +/- 3% at the 95% confidence level.