Reuters has the story of a Harris poll that shows that 44% of Americans now read political blogs, and 22% of them read blogs several times a month or more. So how do they react to that huge and growing percentage of America that is moving away from traditional media outlets like themselves?
Poll: Most Americans don't read political blogs
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A majority of Americans do not read political blogs, the online commentaries that have proliferated in the race for the U.S. presidency, according to a poll released on Monday.
Only 22 percent of people responding to the poll said they read blogs regularly, meaning several times a month or more, according to the survey conducted by Harris Interactive.
Unlike traditional, mainstream media, blogs often adopt a specific point of view. Critics complain they can contain unchecked facts, are poorly edited and use unreliable sources.
Yes, unlike traditional, mainstream media.
Critics never complain about them. Their facts are checked, edited and reliable.
A fine outlet like Reuters would never use an unreliable source like Matthew Woessner to comment on how things might effect Democratic electoral chances without identifying him as a writer for the Hudson Institute.
A fine outlet like Reuters would never employ a cameraman who would be arrested for inciting protesters to throw rocks at an Israeli tank so he could get a photo.
And their editors would never handle things so poorly as to make it look like "liberals" do not "respect the words and meaning of the Constitution."
It is a pity that the political blogs muddy the facts with all of their ~viewpoints~.
But it is just those basement dwelling kids being twisted, right?
While blogs are largely considered the realm of young people who are most Internet-savvy, only 19 percent of people ages 18 to 31, and 17 percent of those ages 32 to 43, regularly read a political blog, the poll said.
The generation most likely to read such blogs are those age 63 or older, 26 percent of whom said they do so. Also, 23 percent of those ages 44 to 62 read them, the poll said.
But how do these numbers compare to past years?
Keep in mind that these numbers are for Political Blogs only, and then consider what the landscape was like in 2005...
A new study of 68,664 people from Forrester Research found that only 6% of Americans reported reading blogs.
Blog use is skyrocketing while newspaper circulation is sliding down.
But at least you can rely on Reuters to get us the facts on the numbers...
The poll was conducted online from January 15 to January 22 among 2,302 adults. Harris said it does not calculate or provide a margin of error because it finds such figures can be misleading.
oh.