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Uses and Gratifications of Offline Newspaper and Online News:
New Wine in an Old Bottle?
The newspaper once reigned as the dominant news medium in America. Faded
black and white movies attest to how family members at breakfast tables read sections of
the newspaper, which was as much a part of the meal as coffee and orange juice. And
then there was the evening newspaper, too. In succeeding years, newspapers faced
competition from radio and, later, television. Now online news threatens the venerable
medium. Not wanting to fall behind, newspapers (as well as other news media) have
responded by going online,
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reproducing their print media products on the World Wide
Web with little regard for the different ways audiences may read and process offline and
online news (Li, 2002; Thalhimer, 1994).
Thus far, online news has proved to be a mixed financial bag for the news media
industry. Online newspapers and radio and television sites bring attention to the news
outlets and, some argue, in this way may increase offline use (Boynton, 2000). But online
news sites are also a financial burden on newspapers and other news media; they also
may compete against offline media. Some newspapers have held back delivering their
best content online that might compete against the newspapers (Grimes, 2002). The
arguments about the effects of online news on the public’s use of offline news are usually
speculative and advanced with little understanding for how audiences approach online
and offline news. This study will explore audience members’ motives and uses of online
news and printed newspapers.
Convention