The Information Seeking Behavior and Needs of Journalists in Context

The advent of technologies introduced into both newsrooms and the American culture in the past ten years has changed the needs and habits of print and television journalists. The proliferation of information on the Internet, the diffusion of communication technologies such as cell phones and personal digital assistants (PDA) have increased journalists capabilities at both seeking and gathering information for their work. This paper describes a day in the life of three different journalists and their information seeking needs and behaviors throughout the course of that day. The paper analyzes the journalists' behaviors and needs using a model created by Nicholas and Martin (1998) that characterizes information needs. The journalists participating in the study used new technologies such as the Internet, PDAs and cell phones at varying levels, depending upon their personal preferences and their views regarding the most efficient and reliable means of reporting the news