Rosie Nguyen, a graduate student at the U, is creating a documentary about how the Internet has altered the face of news reporting.
With a background in communication and journalism, Nguyen is making a film for a final project. She’s titled it “The Correlation Between Social Media Engagement and Viewership Levels in TV News” because it examines how social media has helped and hurt television broadcasts.
“I am focusing on how well their social media strategy aids with drawing viewers in and what other outlets are competing,” Nguyen said.
According to her ratings, the number of viewers watching news on TV has dropped by 50 percent in the past 10 years. Nguyen thinks it is due to the Internet providing news more quickly.
So far she has discovered that about 50 percent of TV viewers between 18 and 24 years of age get their news through apps, such as Facebook and Twitter. After she collects more data, Nguyen plans to predict where the television industry will be in 10 years.
“The documentary is aimed at anyone who is involved in news gathering, news production and news consumption,” she said. “This includes journalists, news viewers and users of social media.”
Nguyen is working with ABC Channel Four in Utah and Craig Wirth, a graduate committee member. She is interviewing students at the U on their news consumption habits, as well as people who have worked in the news industry. She said the best part of creating this documentary was the process.
Bradon Anderson, a senior in English, said he’s noticed people becoming more dependent on online news, including himself.
“People relate to others from around the world, like penpals, without having to engage in person,” he said. “This plays out in news because people can just tweet, rather than watch the TV.”
For more information on Nguyen and her project, or if you want to get involved, email her at [email protected].
@chriswritine