Millennials and young adults today are retrieving their news from social networking sites, tablets and iPhones, and concerns in the industry of how to keep informational news interesting, relevant and engaging are ceaseless.
The Texas Tech University College of Media and Communication partnered with the TTU Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists on Tuesday to host a panel discussion with professionals about National News Engagement Day and why it is important for younger generations to stay informed.
“Our problem is that it’s really tough to get folks in the millennial generation to pay attention to the news,” said Kelly Kaufhold, Ph.D., an assistant professor of journalism and electronic media and the moderator of the panel. “So, it’s really important for us to find, and even experiment with, diverse ways to get young people to follow and share news, whether it’s reading, watching, tweeting, liking or commenting.”
National News Engagement Day is sponsored by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication and was created by Paula Poindexter, the president of AEJMC, with the goal of revitalizing the public’s engagement with the news. The Pew Research Center found 30 percent of young adults to be without news. Kaufhold discussed issues young people would face regarding business decisions in the future if the lack of news consumption remains unchanged
“When young people avoid news, it’s a problem for the news industry, but it’s a problem for society, too,” Kaufhold said.
The panel discussed issues with keeping news interactive and stimulating, as well as threats to the industry of what is considered an interesting piece of news for this age group. Terry Greenberg, vice president for audience at the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, explained the importance of diversifying revenue strengths for future success in journalism and the media industry.
“The media has to figure out how to be relevant on all platforms,” Greenberg warned. “The future is on smartphones and tablets, but it also has not been discovered yet.”
The panelists also included:
Jeff Klotzman (News Director, KJTV-Fox 34)
Eric Bucy, Ph.D. (Regents Professor of Strategic Communication)
Alicia Keene (Graduate Executive Director of The Hub@TTU)
Katelynne Newman (Co-Manager, The Outpost Social Media Lab, College of Media & Communication)
Carson Wilson (Editor-in-Chief, The Daily Toreador)
Scarlett Humphries (KTXT, Media Director)
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