My Research

My research did more for me than just answer my three research questions; it gave me a new understanding for the news consumer. Many participants reiterated that too much of the news was negative and depressing. This may be I too once believed that and still do to some degree, but the fact is that news media outlets must also make money to stay in business, and working at the local paper, I have learned that while as a society we say we would rather not hear all the bad, it's like a train wreck: You don't want to look but you can't stop yourself. Each day there is some feature or happy news story in the paper and when you look at the top-read stories on line it is assuredly the one with the most human tragedy. Sad but true.
My research found correlations in ideology and chosen news outlets as well as educational levels and satisfaction in news availability. There was not a direct link to satisfaction level and news-seeking habits that I found in my research, and this may not exist, but I believe more research is needed to determine either way. I also now, having completed my survey research, wish that I had asked a few things that I did not think of and realize that a few of the questions that I did ask were unnecessary. I would like to come back to this research and build upon it in the future because I believe where and how we get our news is an extremely important subject that directly affects each person’s life. I believe ignorance can create decay in any society.