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By Cassidy Bearinger
Journalist 

How do you get your news

For teens, social media is preferred messenger

 

"Trump claims 'no racial tension' after fresh racist attacks."

"Warren warns of 'coming economic crash'."

"Cory Booker charges Trump is 'worse than a racist'."

Headlines, like these, fill newspapers and blare across airwaves, but how many teens pay attention to news?

Jackie Olivan currently follows the presidential candidates and their political views for the upcoming election in 2020. How does she find out about this topic? Olivan, a senior at Clearwater Highschool sees news all over social media platforms.

Olivan stated, "News is just always there, huge political campaigns and political leaders who try to make movements and voice their opinions, definitely try to use social media to get their views across."

Prior to 1996, when the internet integrated into daily life, kids got their news from newspapers, radios and TVs.

Now kids read the news on Snapchat stories, Facebook posts, Instagram and other social media channels.

Are youth engaged with news or do they skim headlines to stay in touch?

I interviewed two girls and two boys from Ewing, Clearwater and Orchard. Six of the 12 individuals I spoke with said they do not stay updated with news. Three reported they moderately stay up to date, while the other three said they follow and read about news. Even with 24/7 access to every news story, a majority of youths chose not to stay up-to-date with current events.

Platforms for viewing vary but popular included, Facebook, websites, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, YouTube and TV.

What kind of news is available on these platforms?

It depends.

On Instagram, readers are likely to find more news about celebrities, political leaders and lifestyle/entertainment posts, while Facebook features a lot of political news, as well as investigative news and breaking news.

Snapchat stories include political news, celebrity news and breaking news. Twitter is a big platform political leaders use to get their points across.You can also find out about celebrities, national events and local happenings.

Online news is pretty straight forward, you can find about anything: you can even read online newspapers.

When students were asked what types of news they are interested in, their replies can be categorized into: news that affects them, political views, local news and national headlines.

All 12 answered that they are on their phones "all the time."

Defining "all the time" isn't easy. One reported spending an hour a day online. Another figured they logged eight hours of screen time.

With that in mind, kids are bound to come across news while using apps.

 

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