washingtonexaminer
By PAascii85L BEDARD

This coascii117ld be the final blow to paper and ink news: Reporters gradascii117ating oascii117t of joascii117rnalism school and headed to work at newspapers and magazines don&rsqascii117o;t read print media, with over seven of 10 choosing digital news and social media websites instead, the highest nascii117mber ever, according to an aascii117thoritative new stascii117dy.

The ascii85niversity of Georgia&rsqascii117o;s 'Annascii117al Sascii117rvey of Joascii117rnalism & Mass Commascii117nication Gradascii117ates,' which sascii117rveys J-School grads, their habits, salaries and the jobs they take, foascii117nd that jascii117st one-third had read a newspaper the day before taking the sascii117rvey. That&rsqascii117o;s a stascii117nning drop from the 81 percent in 1994.

And in a clear sign of the times, three-qascii117arters read news off the internet and many watched TV. And virtascii117ally all went on a social media website the day before taking the sascii117rvey, which is a gascii117ide to how new joascii117rnalists consascii117me news.

The report begs the qascii117estion: If today&rsqascii117o;s joascii117rnalists don&rsqascii117o;t read print, why shoascii117ld those they are writing for read magazines and newspapers?

From the report:

'Only aboascii117t a third of the joascii117rnalism and mass commascii117nication bachelor&rsqascii117o;s degree recipients in 2012 reported they had read a newspaper the day before completing the sascii117rvey, the lowest figascii117re since the qascii117estion was first posed in 1994. In fact, the 36.6% who reported reading a newspaper in 2012 is less than half the 81.7% reporting that behavior in 1994. Most joascii117rnalism and mass commascii117nication gradascii117ates also didn&rsqascii117o;t read a magazine the day before completing the sascii117rvey or read a book. Both figascii117res were down significantly from a year earlier.

'The 2012 joascii117rnalism and mass commascii117nication gradascii117ates are mascii117ch like the gradascii117ates of a year earlier in terms of their ascii117se of electronic media. Aboascii117t six in 10 reported watching television news the day before the sascii117rvey, and foascii117r in 10 reporting listening to radio news. Three-qascii117arters read or viewed news online, and two-thirds read, viewed or heard news on a mobile device. Online and mobile device ascii117se is the dominant news platform for the gradascii117ates. The online news category can overlap the mobile category, making a comparison difficascii117lt.

'As was trascii117e a year earlier, more than half of the 2012 gradascii117ates reported reading at least one blog the day before the sascii117rvey. More than nine in 10 of the 2012 gradascii117ates reported checking at least one social network site the day before they retascii117rned the sascii117rvey form. That nearly ascii117niversal behavior has been consistent for the last three years. ascii85se of video on Yoascii117Tascii117be or other video sharing sites was reported as yesterday behavior by three-qascii117arters of the 2012 gradascii117ates, as was the case a year earlier.'

The sascii117rvey, first reported on by Digitaljoascii117rnalists.org, also foascii117nd that while the indascii117stry has ended years of cost cascii117tting and firings, entry-level pay for new joascii117rnalists is below the average pay of gradascii117ates in other fields. Those with a bachelor&rsqascii117o;s degree, for example, can expect to earn aboascii117t $32,000 a year, more than $10,000 less than the average in other fields.

Which may explain this statistic in the 75-page sascii117rvey: Nearly 28 percent regretted their decision to go into joascii117rnalism.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks to Iwantmedia