Posted by Sarah Andrews
CNN's app for the iPad (from Media Bistro)
The way news is consumed today is miles away from where it started. No longer do people learn about what’s going on in the world around them from their local daily newspaper. Smart phones, the iPad and laptops have made the news available instantaneously, and consumers expect journalists and news organizations to hand-feed them the information they need.
This has changed the way journalists work. It’s no longer enough to get the scoop on a story. Reporters need to get that information to consumers as it’s happening. Publishing a story hours after it happens would be almost pointless. Your readers already know it’s happening.
With apps, Twitter and other forms of social media, users stay updated on current events with little to no effort. I’m always disappointed and almost offended (how could they forget me?) when I find out about a major news story and CNN or AP didn’t update me personally on my iPhone.
While this is great for me and my peers, it leaves out the less web and tech savvy part of the population. Older generations are used to getting their news hours later or the next day. They may prefer it that way. News organizations can’t forget about this demographic.
While breaking news is important, it’s also critical to reach out to your entire audience. How do you get your news? Do you like being constantly updated or do you prefer to read at your own pace?
Media Editing 
I get news via both old and new ways. I like that the newer technologies allow us to get minute-by-minute coverage of important events, but I also like that older news often gives us more in depth coverage of what has happened and what is being done right now. I like that new technologies for receiving news are developing, but I also think it is important to acknowledge that not everyone understands how to use them to their full potential.
To be completely honest, I do not follow the news regularly. If I hear someone on campus mention something or I get a text from my mom that something big is going on, I will check cnn.com or turn the news on TV on. I don’t check twitter regularly and would not enjoy updates throughout the day.
It takes discipline for me to stay up on the news because I’m not inclined to do so regularly. Most mornings I read the newspaper over breakfast and will sometimes listen to the hourly news update on NPR’s website. I appreciate reading the news at my own pace, and I never really feel like I devote enough attention to a story to read it all the way through. Few stories keep me glued to the page. I’d rather get the whole gamut of news than read one story in-depth.
I follow news organizations on Twitter, as well as look at the odd news homepage now and then. However, it’s difficult to digest all the constant updates that social media throws at me. I enjoy reading the paper, and I believe that it can be worth the wait to have a fully-informed, truthful article. This doesn’t mean I don’t believe in the coverage of late-breaking news, but with all the options the media has today to cover such situations, it can be difficult to separate the real news from the hearsay.
I pretty much read at my own pace. I do have the Des Moines Register send me texts. I tried a few news sites on Twitter but they send so many I was overloaded. I check the news every morning and that’s good enough for me, then periodically throughout the day. I’m getting my local news as it happens with the texts, but for all other information I choose it when I have time.