This is interesting. The Daily Kos looked at where their stories originated (both primary and secondary sources), and found that newspapers were the main most common source. Not very surprising given the type of blog The Daily Kos is, but still.
Newspapers: 102 primary, 21 secondary
Blogs: 83 primary, 19 secondary
Advocacy organizations: 77 primary, 9 secondary
Television network: 69 primary, 14 secondary
Online news organizations: 54 primary, 5 secondary
Magazines and journals: 36 primary
Political trade press: 28 primary
Research/polling: 20 primary
Wikipedia: 21 primary, 8 secondary
Educational (.edu): 15 primary
Government: 14 primary, 5 secondary
Campaigns: 13 primary
Books: 6 primary
AP and other Wire: 5 secondary
Radio: 4 primary
Read the full thing, with something of an analysis, and take to heart if you will.
Author: Thord Daniel Hedengren
Thord Daniel Hedengren is a designer, writer, and blogger, and also the former editor of The Blog Herald. He used to be a hotshot in the gaming industry in Sweden, but sold everything and went International. Most recently he wrote a book called Smashing WordPress: Beyond the Blog, and does loads of kickass design.
“and found that newspapers were the main source”.
Um, that doesn’t really follow. As the full report noted, newspapers were the most *common* source, but still only accounted for 20 percent of the stories. Or, put another way, the vast majority — 80 percent — of stories on Daily KOS are from a media outlet other than a newspaper.
In fact the site notes it wouldn’t miss the disappearance of newspapers all that much,
“In the unlikely and tragic event that every single newspaper went out of business today, we’d have little problem replacing them as a source of information. Even most of the pundits we’re following would stick around somewhere or other. It’s not as if Paul Krugman’s fate is intertwined in any way with the NY Times’.”
True, “main” was a little misleading, I changed it. Thanks.
As for the other thing, that they wouldn’t miss newspapers, I think that’s a lot of big talk. They would, it IS the most common source after all, and the rings on the water makes it far more valuable than just direct linkage. If newspaper disappeared, other things would fill the void, but just erasing them and then say that it wouldn’t really matter is plain ol’ bullshit if you ask me.