My 21-year-old roommate refuses to watch television news. She claims the news is "too depressing" and angers her. A recent Northwestern University study found that many people in my generation agree with my roommate. Teens and college students would rather talk about events that interest them rather than what's really happening in the world.
Websites such as YouTube may be largely responsible for the growing trend of gathering news online rather than from your TV. Sure, there are plenty of YouTube videos posted for the sole purpose of embarrassing one's best friend, but there are also an increasing amount of videos uploaded by human rights groups who want to inform our generation of the horrors of the world.
Photo Courtesy: Courtney Johnston
Television news executives know that YouTube and Yahoo! Videos are a threat to the TV news that our parents grew up watching. And while some may say that the Internet is killing TV news, I believe it's doing exactly the opposite.
Want video of excited students after KU wins in the Elite Eight? Check out YouTube. Or how about video of two news helicopters colliding midair in Phoenix during a car chase? Just type it in the search bar on YouTube.
TV news isn't oblivious to the fact that citizen journalism is becoming a reliable source of news. Many stations air footage from YouTube simply because a citizen was there when the TV cameras weren't. And even though YouTube is becoming more popular every month, I can't see how local TV news will ever be replaced by "Leave Britney Alone!"
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