Monday, September 20, 2010

Do College Students Prefer Print?

THE POYNTER INSTITUTE reports that students actually prefer the print edition of their school newspaper over the online version.

They cite a spring 2010 study by Student Monitor that found that 56 percent of students "don't even know if their campus newspaper is available online." Around 63 percent of students classify themselves as "frequent or light readers of the print edition of the campus newspaper."

One advisor says that their college newspaper remains popular because it is free, convenient and relevant to students' lives.

Do you read the Temple News in print? Online? Why (or why not)?

22 comments:

Maddie Bates said...

Print, mainly because it's easier to take on the go to class, breakfast, etc. Also, a little because I hate to see print media die. Also, because it's free and I can pick up a copy with The New York Times and The Philly Inquirer in the morning right in my dorm. No brainer

Alexis Wright-Whitley said...

I mainly read print because I honestly enjoy reading something on hard copy rather than online. I just get the feel for the story more if I can hold something in my hands; i know, odd. Also, I tend to get a slight bit distracted when reading online. Print is easier and more convenient. I can just grab a newspaper and read it wherever I go.

Breland Moore said...

I love the print version of the Temple News. I honestly didn't even know you could find it online, so the print addition is all I've ever read. I like online editions of regular news though. It makes it easier to skim the most important headlines by clicking on the tabs.

Will Fitch said...

I read it in print, personally. However this is only because the print version is the only version I ever stumble upon. I'm never going to stumble upon an online version of the Temple News. Perhaps the website should invest in some virus software and pop-ups, maybe then we'll all know about the online version.

Ali Watkins said...

I've only ever read the Temple News in print as well. In general, I prefer print. I skim online papers too, but there's just something comforting to me about waking up in the morning and reading the paper with a cup of coffee. Who knows if the NY Times will even be available in print in a few years? I want to take full advantage of it while it's still around.

Mark Longacre said...

I mainly read online. I think its easier, more convenient, and more consistent. I read the news on my smartphone or laptop, read what I want, and continue on my day.

Katelyn Gillam said...

I personally didn't even think that Temple News was online, I agree that student readers are more likely to read the campus newspaper because it is free and covienent. During one of my classes last year a teacher spontaneously handed out the Temple News because she had extras and many students had already read the issue and this surprised me since it was much different then my high school paper where no one would even attempt to read it or take it seriously. Although the campus newspaper sphere has grown, I do still believe that more youth these days are drawn towards online journalism when not on campus.

Lauren Petrie said...

I like grabbing a newspaper because if I forget to look over it that day I still will have an opportunity to look at it the day after. The problem with online papers is it isn't as easy to access the information from the previous day. I don't have a smart phone so I can't read current events while i'm sitting in class or the library. Also, papers are free on campus so I might as well take advantage of them.

Erin Magarity said...

I'd prefer to read my news in print, however I do check NYTimes.com and Philly.com fairly often. I like the idea of having a tangible item that I can physically turn the page to and know that the information I have in my hand is finite. If I always read the news online, I could continuously click on link after link, therefore providing an exorbitant amount of information for me to absorb.

Kaitlyn Sutton said...

I had no idea that the Temple News was available in an online form. I myself prefer to read the print form of the Temple News just because it is so easy to pick up right in the lobby of my dorm. Although I prefer to read my news in print, I do find myself occasionally on Philly.com or NYTimes.com.

Elizabeth Van Son said...

I definitely prefer to read anything in print rather than on the internet. On the internet I have a hard time connecting what I'm reading to my mind because I just scroll down fast and don't really absorb the information. I also didn't know that the Temple News was available on the internet. I think that newspapers are just a better way to really read the news. They may not be the most convenient but reading articles on the internet doesn't really help me learn anything.

Sarae Gdovin said...

Personally, I would much rather read the Temple News in print. I like the more traditional way of actually having the paper in my hands. Then if there was an article I really enjoyed I could save it. It's much different than trying to bookmark an article online. Technology can be unreliable and that article could be erased.

Dana Dever said...

I read it mainly online just because sometimes I need breaks from articles that teacbers assign for us to read and most of them are on blackboard so it's just easier to open up the internet and pull up the Temple News that way. I can understand why students would prefer the print version because it makes it easier to read if you're on the way to class especially if you don't have a high tech phone that allows you to access the internet. Plus, if you're using an article in the newspaper as a source for something, it's better to have a print version of it because something could go wrong with the website and the article could be lost.

Ruth K said...

Print, because the whole point of the Temple news is to take it with you somewhere when you have a small break or you're bored or need to relax. It's important that the newspaper be a physical object since if it were only online, we'd never use it in those periods of intermission. Sometimes it's just nice to have access to a free physical paper.

Maura Lieberman said...

I usually just pick up my paper if I see it at the SAC or in my residence hall more often than I check it online!

Sean Carlin said...

Print. Basically because I read print news everyday anyway and I prefer it, but the Temple News is much easier to grab and go when you're walking through campus

Eleana Wehr said...

I like the print version a lot better just because I like the idea of holding it, flipping through it, carrying it with me, etc. Then again, I don't have an iPhone so I don't really know what its like to be able to access the news easily like others do. I still think I would like to read the news on a newspaper than on a mobile device.

Andrea Cicio said...

I personally read the Temple News in print. In fact, I read EVERYTHING, from newspapers to magazines and every publication in between, in print. There is a certain comfort in knowing the world, and everything happening in it, is literally at my fingertips. With the flip of a page, I can access whatever piece of information I may choose, and I live vicariously through the journalist who wrote the piece; taking me to a happy place where I dream of my name being sprawled out on the pages of a major publication. Now, that's a satisfaction that definitely cannot be derived from any website, Nook, Kindle, iPhone, or any other newfangled contraption.

Kelly Offner said...

I like reading the print version of the Temple News because, like many other people have said, it is easy to access and great to read in between classes- no hassling to find a computer in the writing lab to read the articles!
I find that even though other newspapers like the Daily News and NYT are available for free in my apartment building, I am more likely to read those online because they are larger papers and easier to navigate on the website.

Alison Curran said...

i prefer print. i find that whenever i am reading something on the computer my eyes get tired faster which makes me less inclined to read. but if i have something that is tangible that i can carry around and read throughout the day i am more inclined to read more stories and more sections of the newspaper.

it is much easier to pick up a newspaper than have to take out your laptop, if you don't have the iphone. especially if it is free, i take full advantage when they print and give out free newspapers.

Arielle Arlan said...

I actually like reading a hard copy rather than online more times than not. There's just something about holding what you're reading in your hand d being physically connected to something than over the internet. The computer can be a rather distracting thing.

I also feel that the hard copy is a bit more convenient. I walk out my dorm and down the hall there is a stand filled with them that I can just pick up and read before class.

Lauren Hertzler said...

As a student, I find myself reading print newspapers more than online - mainly because it is more convenient. I don't usually carry my lap top around, so when I want to read before or after a class to pass time, it is always nice to have a newspaper handy. I also get very very very side tracked when I am on the computer (FACEBOOK) and usually lose interest in what I am reading pretty quickly.

I do think it is beneficial to have an online paper for the Temple News though - mainly for people not on campus frequently.