Do You Remember Print News Stories Better Than Those You Read Online?

[Waqas 48]

If a new research report is correct, you’re better off printing this story out and reading it if you want to remember it.

A study by three doctoral candidates at the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication found that print news readers remember “significantly more” than those who read news stories online. Print readers also remember “significantly more” topics than online readers, the report found. Print readers and online readers recall headlines equally well.

The three authors — Arthur Santana, Randall Livingstone and Yoon Cho — took a sample of 45 students. Of those, 25 read the paper edition of The New York Times and 20 read the newspaper exclusively online. The participants were asked to read each version of the paper for 20 minutes. Then they were quizzed on what they read.

The research paper offers a few possible reasons for the disparity: Online news “is ephemeral,” the report states. “It can appear and disappear without warning, thus creating an element of distraction.” Moreover, the layout of a paper newspaper gives readers an indication about which stories are thought to be more important. By contrast, “Online newspapers are apt to give fewer cues about the news story’s importance, thus giving readers more control over story selection.”

What do you think? Take the poll below to let us know.

Do you remember print news stories better than online news stories?

Image courtesy of Flickr, Zoetnet

More About: newspapers, online media, print, the new york times

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