1. Who You Are and Where You’ve Been:
Factors Influencing Student Online
International News Reading
Tania H. Cantrell
The University of Texas at Austin
6th Annual International Symposium on
Online Journalism
Austin, TX
April 9, 2005

2. PRESENTATION OVERVIEW~
Background: Sept. 11 and International News
Context and Theory: “News,” “Who & Why,” Uses & Grats
Methods: Web Survey
Results: Focus on Gender & Online International News Reading
Discussion: Medium Choice, Surveillance, Familiarity
Limitations: Low Response Rate
Conclusion and Recommendations

3. Background: Sept. 11 and International News
~ “The demand for news and information on September 11 also
spilled over to the Internet. For the first time, the Internet was
viewed as an alternative channel for obtaining in-depth news and
information.” (Rappoport, P. N. (2002). The Internet and the demand for news. Prometheus, 20 (3), p. 255.)
~ As of “Sept. 2003, over half of the people in the United States –
150 million – went online. Various surveys indicate that half to
two-thirds of those who go online use the Internet at least some of
the time to get news.” (The State of the News Media. (2004). Journalism.org. Retrieved from… on March 31, 2004, p.11.)

4. Background: Sept. 11 and International News
~ What additional factors influence young adults to read
international news online?

5. Context and Theory: “News,” “Who & Why,” Uses & Grats
~ Definitional problems of news and international news
~ Gender and age
~ Medium & userability - immediacy, flexibility,
internationalness
~ Uses & Grats - gender/identity & experiences/int. travel

6. Context and Theory: “News,” “Who & Why,” Uses & Grats
H1: Men will read online int. news more than women.
RQ1: WITRB int. experience and online int. news reading?

7. Methods: Web Survey
~ Systematic random sample with random start point
~ 56-item Web-based survey with reminder emails to college
students with almost 900 respondents; response rate of about 8
percent
~ Administered November 2003
~ Various questions examining Media usage and/or habits,
opinions on public affairs, lifestyle, demographics etc.
~ SPSS analysis

8. H1: Men will read online international news more than women
will.
RQ1: What is the relationship between international experience
and online international news reading?
(international experience = number of non-U.S. trips)

9. Results: Focus on Gender & Online International News Reading
~ SAMPLE: Mostly 24 years old, undergrad (67%), female (56%),
Caucasian (75%), American (96%), wealthy (30% in $100,000 or
more category)
~ Of 12 content categories, international news was SECOND most-
frequently read news category (50%)

10. ~ Males (56%) are More Likely to Often Read International
News Online than Females (45%)
H1: Men will read online international news more than
women will.
Results…

12. ~ U.S. Citizens (68%) are More Likely to Often Read
International News Online than Non-U.S. Citizens (30%)
Results…

14. ~ The more students have traveled abroad, the more likely they
are to often read international news online
(67% of High Travelers (Visited 7+ Countries) Often Read
International News Online)
RQ1: What is the relationship between international
experience and online international news reading?
(international experience = number of non-U.S. trips)
Results…

15. TABLE 3: A Comparison of International Travel Experience
and Online International News Reading
Non-
travelers
(%)
Low
Travelers
(%)
Moderate
Travelers
(%)
High
Travelers
(%)
Often 40 42 50 67
Sometimes 40 40 40 28
Never 19 19 10 6
(Valid Cases) (178) (248) (211) (199)
X2 = 44.267, d.f .= 6, p < .001, tau-c=-.2, gamma=-.3

16. Discussion: Medium Choice, Surveillance, Familiarity
~ Young adults are choosing the Internet to receive their
international news
~ More men than women, but gender difference may disappear as
familiarity differences between genders with medium disappear
~ Familiarity with location and desire to know more

17. Limitations: Low Response Rate
~ Web survey is new methodology
~ Variability in response rate
~ Suggestion: Use incentive

18. Conclusion and Recommendations
~ This study adds to Uses & Grats and online int. news reading
literature.
~ Online international news readership trends on upswing,
particularly among male, U.S. citizen, Caucasian high-travelers.
~ More research needed into gratifications associated with online
international news reading.
~ Further inquiry into the definition of international news and
other factors -- race, class -- affecting online international news
reading encouraged.

19. Thank you!