Bruce Garrison

Diffusion of online information technologies in newspaper newsrooms

This study examined the spread of online information technologies within US daily newspaper newsrooms over a six-year period beginning in 1994. Since the general public and news media began to embrace the internet and world wide web in early 1994, a process of adoption of this interactive innovation by newspapers occurred. The longitudinal survey data revealed that use of interactive information-gathering technologies in newsrooms has reached a critical mass for (1) general computer use, (2) online research in newsrooms, (3) non-specialist content searching, and (4) daily frequency of online use. Data revealed the web and internet to be the most-used new resources for finding online information, replacing and supplementing established commercial services. Data also suggest a redefinition of roles in the newsroom resulting from adoption of the web and other online technologies, breaking from traditional news-researcher, reporter, and editor roles. Todays newsrooms often merge the researcher and reporter/editor roles, freeing researchers for other tasks. New media technologies such as online news research have achieved greater utility as more journalists have adopted them. Use levels will become increasingly sophisticated as additional users – journalists themselves and their sources – adopt.

Journalists' Perceptions of Online Information-Gathering Problems

This paper reports findings of a longitudinal study of the leading problems identified by journalists using the World Wide Web for newsgathering. Respondents to 1997 and 1998 national surveys listed their perceptions of flaws in the Web as a newsgathering source. Data from additional national surveys conducted in 1994, 1995, and 1996 are also reported. The analysis found growing use of the Web and commercial online services for newsgathering during each of the five years, but use increased the most in 1996 and 1997. Among the leading problems journalists identified in using online sources were verification of facts, sites containing unreliable information, badly sourced information, and lack of source credibility. Web-related problems, based on the technology itself, were not perceived to be as severe. The study found a growing need for ongoing newsroom training and development of online research skills among reporters and their editors.

Online news and the public

Contents: Preface. Part I: Overview. B. Garrison, Online Newspapers. M.B. Salwen, Online News Trends. P.D. Driscoll, Legal Issues and Online Journalism. Part II: Studies of Online News Audiences and Content. M.B. Salwen, B. Garrison, P.D. Driscoll, The Baseline Survey Projects: Exploring Questions. R.A. Abdulla, B. Garrison, M.B. Salwen, P.D. Driscoll, D. Casey, Online News Credibility. R.D. Driscoll, M.B. Salwen, B. Garrison, Public Fear of Terrorism and the News Media. M.B. Salwen, P.D. Driscoll, B. Garrison, Third-Person Perceptions of Fear During the War on Terrorism: Perceptions of Online News Users. C. Imfeld, G.W. Scott, Under Construction: Measures of Community Building at Newspaper Web Sites. C. Lin, M.B. Salwen, R.A. Abdulla, Uses and Gratifications of Online and Offline News: New Wine in an Old Bottle? C. Lin, M.B. Salwen, B. Garrison, P.D. Driscoll, Online News as a Functional Substitute for Offline News. W. Dibean, B. Garrison, Online Newspaper Market Size and the Use of World Wide Web Technologies. Part III: Online News Posters. R.A. Abdulla, What They Post: Arabic-Language Message Boards After the September 11 Attacks. D.J. Atkin, L. Jeffres, K. Neuendorf, R. Lange, P. Skalski, Why They Chat: Predicting Adoption and Use of Chat Rooms. Appendix: National Telephone Survey Questionnaires, 2001-2002.

How Newspaper Reporters Use the Web to Gather News

This study found journalists use government sites most often to retrieve information. Problems include difficulty with verification, unreliable information and lack of contact information.

Online news as a functional substitute for offline news

Contents: Preface. Part I: Overview. B. Garrison, Online Newspapers. M.B. Salwen, Online News Trends. P.D. Driscoll, Legal Issues and Online Journalism. Part II: Studies of Online News Audiences and Content. M.B. Salwen, B. Garrison, P.D. Driscoll, The Baseline Survey Projects: Exploring Questions. R.A. Abdulla, B. Garrison, M.B. Salwen, P.D. Driscoll, D. Casey, Online News Credibility. R.D. Driscoll, M.B. Salwen, B. Garrison, Public Fear of Terrorism and the News Media. M.B. Salwen, P.D. Driscoll, B. Garrison, Third-Person Perceptions of Fear During the War on Terrorism: Perceptions of Online News Users. C. Imfeld, G.W. Scott, Under Construction: Measures of Community Building at Newspaper Web Sites. C. Lin, M.B. Salwen, R.A. Abdulla, Uses and Gratifications of Online and Offline News: New Wine in an Old Bottle? C. Lin, M.B. Salwen, B. Garrison, P.D. Driscoll, Online News as a Functional Substitute for Offline News. W. Dibean, B. Garrison, Online Newspaper Market Size and the Use of World Wide Web Technologies. Part III: Online News Posters. R.A. Abdulla, What They Post: Arabic-Language Message Boards After the September 11 Attacks. D.J. Atkin, L. Jeffres, K. Neuendorf, R. Lange, P. Skalski, Why They Chat: Predicting Adoption and Use of Chat Rooms. Appendix: National Telephone Survey Questionnaires, 2001-2002.

Online services, internet in 1995 newsrooms

Survey finds new focus on Internet and more newspapers willing to spend more money for online services.

Computer-Assisted Reporting near Complete Adoption

This study of U.S. daily newspapers with circulations of 20,000 or greater shows that in 1998 journalists at 90 percent of the papers were using computers to find and analyze information.

The baseline survey projects: Exploring questions

Contents: Preface. Part I: Overview. B. Garrison, Online Newspapers. M.B. Salwen, Online News Trends. P.D. Driscoll, Legal Issues and Online Journalism. Part II: Studies of Online News Audiences and Content. M.B. Salwen, B. Garrison, P.D. Driscoll, The Baseline Survey Projects: Exploring Questions. R.A. Abdulla, B. Garrison, M.B. Salwen, P.D. Driscoll, D. Casey, Online News Credibility. R.D. Driscoll, M.B. Salwen, B. Garrison, Public Fear of Terrorism and the News Media. M.B. Salwen, P.D. Driscoll, B. Garrison, Third-Person Perceptions of Fear During the War on Terrorism: Perceptions of Online News Users. C. Imfeld, G.W. Scott, Under Construction: Measures of Community Building at Newspaper Web Sites. C. Lin, M.B. Salwen, R.A. Abdulla, Uses and Gratifications of Online and Offline News: New Wine in an Old Bottle? C. Lin, M.B. Salwen, B. Garrison, P.D. Driscoll, Online News as a Functional Substitute for Offline News. W. Dibean, B. Garrison, Online Newspaper Market Size and the Use of World Wide Web Technologies. Part III: Online News Posters. R.A. Abdulla, What They Post: Arabic-Language Message Boards After the September 11 Attacks. D.J. Atkin, L. Jeffres, K. Neuendorf, R. Lange, P. Skalski, Why They Chat: Predicting Adoption and Use of Chat Rooms. Appendix: National Telephone Survey Questionnaires, 2001-2002.

Online newspaper market size and the use of world wide web technologies

Contents: Preface. Part I: Overview. B. Garrison, Online Newspapers. M.B. Salwen, Online News Trends. P.D. Driscoll, Legal Issues and Online Journalism. Part II: Studies of Online News Audiences and Content. M.B. Salwen, B. Garrison, P.D. Driscoll, The Baseline Survey Projects: Exploring Questions. R.A. Abdulla, B. Garrison, M.B. Salwen, P.D. Driscoll, D. Casey, Online News Credibility. R.D. Driscoll, M.B. Salwen, B. Garrison, Public Fear of Terrorism and the News Media. M.B. Salwen, P.D. Driscoll, B. Garrison, Third-Person Perceptions of Fear During the War on Terrorism: Perceptions of Online News Users. C. Imfeld, G.W. Scott, Under Construction: Measures of Community Building at Newspaper Web Sites. C. Lin, M.B. Salwen, R.A. Abdulla, Uses and Gratifications of Online and Offline News: New Wine in an Old Bottle? C. Lin, M.B. Salwen, B. Garrison, P.D. Driscoll, Online News as a Functional Substitute for Offline News. W. Dibean, B. Garrison, Online Newspaper Market Size and the Use of World Wide Web Technologies. Part III: Online News Posters. R.A. Abdulla, What They Post: Arabic-Language Message Boards After the September 11 Attacks. D.J. Atkin, L. Jeffres, K. Neuendorf, R. Lange, P. Skalski, Why They Chat: Predicting Adoption and Use of Chat Rooms. Appendix: National Telephone Survey Questionnaires, 2001-2002.

Professional Orientations of Sports Journalists: A Study of Associated Press Sports Editors

Sports journalism may not be the bastard step-child of newspapering much longer. A national survey of sports editors finds they see sports journalists as possessing some of the best professional traits of both “hard” and “soft” news writers, as well as other desirable characteristics that they believe neither soft and hard news writers possess.