Who says reading is passé? When it comes to keeping up on the events of the day, more than half of the 50 alums surveyed in our latest poll said they get their news mainly from a daily newspaper.
Most of the newspaper devotees make a habit of reading at least one paper every day. "I don't own a computer and I don't watch television for news," said a Bay Area teacher, '60. "I've got the Chronicle of Higher Education and the San Jose Mercury. If it's not there, it's not." Another newspaper reader, '39, admitted to a diet of two dailies, two news-weeklies and the Sunday New York Times.
Of the 20 percent who get their news from TV, most said they watch national network broadcasts, and several made a point of claiming the venerable NewsHour with Jim Lehrer as their favorite. "I like the more in-depth coverage," said a travel executive, '59. A young mother, '93, declared herself a fan of CNN. "Headline News is on 24 hours a day, and that's perfect for late-night feeding and diapering," she said. A physician, PhD '78, MD '81, described himself as "a TV guy," but added: "Another major source of news is my wife and our nanny."
Eighteen percent of the surveyed alumni cited the radio as their main news source. Most of these were commuters tuning in to National Public Radio during the rush hour. "I listen 45 minutes each way," said an event planner, '95. A Vermont judge, '69, takes in NPR while commuting to and from court every day. "My drive happens during All Things Considered, and I became a fan," she said. Some radio listeners said they prefer the straight-ahead style of AM news stations. "I don't like editorializing," was how one AM devotee, '45, put it.
For all its promise, the Internet did not rank high among those surveyed. The lone online news junkie was a high-tech executive, '87, who receives e-mail news briefings and tunes in to PointCast, the Internet news packager. Befitting the online world, his news gathering has a gossipy, communal bent: "Friends send me e-mails and let me know what to check out." One radio aficionado, '45, said he would never rely on the Internet: "There are too many stupid, unreliable people out there."
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