Korean journal of communication and information (한국언론정보학보)
- Volume 35
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- Pages.211-249
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- 2006
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- 1598-3757(pISSN)
What did They Read in the Newspapers?: A New Method of Measuring Readership
독자 중심의 신문 제작과 독자의 실제 열독률
- Park, Jae-Yung (School of Journalism & Mass Communication, Korea University) ;
- Jeon, Sam-Hyoung-Joon (Program in Science & Technology Studies, Korea University)
- Published : 2006.08.14
Abstract
This study investigated how many and which articles readers read in daily newspapers. Distinguished from previous research that measured readers' perception of their reading habits, this study picked up readers who read the newspaper in the morning, showed them every article in the newspaper, and asked them whether they read each article. This method enhanced the accuracy of measuring subjects‘ reading behavior. According to the results, 6.2% of the readers read at least half of the articles of the general section in the newspaper. Fewer readers went over the economic section of the newspaper. It was 4.1% of the readers. There were only 1.1% of readers who did not read any article of the general section, but the rate soared to 26.5% for the economic section. Many newspaper readers did not skip the first five pages of the newspaper, however the highest readership pages were found in the national coverage located in the middle of the general section. On the other hand, few readers read the articles on pages covering culture, international issues, and people. Readership of the top stories showed some unexpected results. The top stories of national coverage located in the middle of the general section were read by more readers than the top stories of the front pages. This study also investigated the difference between young and old readers. The readers of twenties and thirties did not read as many top stories on major pages and editorials as the readers of forties and older.
이 연구는 독자가 어떤 기사를 얼마나 읽는지를 구체적으로 탐색했다. 설문 응답 형태로 열독 의식이나 태도를 조사한 과거 연구와 달리, 이 연구는 독자에게 신문을 보여주면서 각 기사에 대한 열독 여부와 열독 정도 등 '행태'를 측정했다. 최근 국내 신문사들이 독자 중심의 제작을 표방하는 것과 대조적으로 독자의 구체적인 열독행태는 제대로 알려지지 않았다는 것이 이 연구의 문제의식이었다. 신문 종합섹션 전체 기사의 절반 이상을 열독하는 독자는 6.2%였으며 경제섹션의 이 비율은 4.1%였다. 종합섹션에서 단 1개의 기사도 열독하지 않는 독자는 1.1%였으며 경제섹션의 이 비율은 26.5%였다. 종합1,
Keywords