Study: Social media surpasses newspapers as news source

NEW YORK – A survey says Americans today are more likely to get news from social media websites than newspapers.

The Pew Research Center said Monday that 20 per cent of Americans cited social media as a frequent news source, compared to 16 per cent that credited newspapers. It’s the first time since Pew has found sites like Facebook and Twitter outpacing newspapers.

Pew has been asking about news consumption, with a slight change in wording, since 1991. That year, 56 per cent of Americans said newspapers when asked where they had gotten their news yesterday.

The survey also found that 81 per cent of people aged 65 and over often get news from television, compared to only 16 per cent of people aged 18 to 29.

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