To engage younger audiences, avoid stereotypes

Posted by Leah McBride Mensching on August 19, 2010 at 8:33 AM

After a year of research on what role young people have to play in the future of journalism, Christopher Sopher shared his discoveries and recommendations concerning younger consumers. "The question that matters," he says, "is this: What will replace the morning newspaper as the news habit of the first generation of Americans to grow up immersed in a digital culture?...Journalism needs to focus on young audiences and experiment with new approaches to engaging them."

Stereotypes have a huge role in the high failure rate of journalistic efforts aimed at youths. "Too many stereotypes about young people get worked into news experiments aimed at them," he writes. "While it's true that most young people feel more comfortable with technology and the Internet than their elders do, we don't possess some sherpa-like, innate ability to navigate poorly designed, poorly organized information." In conclusion, "recreating an old experience in a new format is an ineffective way to reach young audiences."

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