Tuned out: Why Americans under 40 Don’t Follow the News

David T. Z. Mindich0195161408, 0195161416

At a rate never before seen in American history, young adults are abandoning traditional news media. Tuned Out: Why Americans Under 40 Don’t Follow the News examines the reasons behind this problem and its consequences for American society. Author David T. Z. Mindich speaks directly to young people to discover why some tune in while others tune out – and how America might help them tune back in. Based on discussions with young adults from across the United States, Mindich investigates the decline in news consumption over the past four decades. In 1972, 74% of Americans in their mid-30s said they read a newspaper every day. Today, fewer than 28% do so. The average viewer age at CNN is currently about 60 years old. And while many point to the Internet as the best hope for rekindling interest in the news, only 11% of young people list the news as a major reason for logging on – entertainment, e-mail, and Instant Messenger are ranked far higher on their list. Exploring the political, journalistic, and social consequences of this decrease in political awareness, Mindich poses the question: What are the consequences of two successive generations tuning out? He asserts that as young adults abandon the kinds of news needed to make political decisions, they have unwittingly ceded power to their elders. In an engaged and intelligent way, Mindich outlines these problems and proposes real solutions. An indispensable resource for anyone interested in media or politics, Tuned Out: Why Americans Under 40 Don’t Follow the News is also ideal for undergraduate and graduate students in journalism, media, communication, political science, American studies, sociology, andeducation.This is a very important book. Professor Mindich has undertaken to determine the extent of the news illiteracy of an entire generation of American young people, and to speculate with authorities in broadcasting and print as to what can be done about it. This volume is a handbook for the desperately needed attempt to inspire in the young generation a curiosity that generates the news habit. Their lack of knowledge or even interest in our government bodes a critical danger to democracy as they become the nation’s voting majority. – Walter Cronkite”Mindich presents a devastating analysis of how national television news panders to young viewers with ‘news-as-entertainment’ options. But the book’s real virtue is the way Mindich marshals statistics to support his challenge to news organizations ‘to create a society in which young people feel that reading quality journalism is worthwhile.'” – Publishers Weekly”

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Table of contents :
EEn……Page 1
Tuned Out: Why Americans Under 40 Don’t Follow the News……Page 2
Copyright Info……Page 6
Dedication……Page 7
TOC……Page 9
Preface……Page 11
1 A Generational Shift……Page 16
2 How Tuned Out Are They?……Page 33
3 Talking with Young People I: Striptease News and the Shifting Balance Between Need and Want……Page 49
4 Talking with Young People II: Who Follows the News and Why……Page 75
5 Television, the Internet, and the Eclipse of the Local……Page 92
6 The Decline of General News and the Deliberative Body……Page 110
7 Conclusion: How to Tune Back In……Page 127
Appendix A – People Surveyed or Interviewed for This Project, 2001–03……Page 143
Appendix B – Format of the Standard Interview……Page 145
Appendix C – Responses to Questions 11–21……Page 147
Bibliography……Page 149
1……Page 158
2……Page 161
3……Page 163
4……Page 167
5……Page 169
6……Page 171
7……Page 174
Index……Page 178