The digital divide and news consumption: how rural newspapers are making online content accessible
Abstract
Lack of internet access impacts almost every facet of daily life in the modern age, from how we learn to how we connect with our communities. Consumption of online news is also impacted by the growing digital divide, and rural communities bear the brunt of that inequality. The reality of internet insecurity coupled with industry wide pressures to produce digital news content begs the question of how are we ensuring all have access to a full and accurate account of the news of the day. Eight semi structured interviews with the staff of rural newspapers in Arkansas address the strategies being implemented to ensure that digital news content produced by local newspapers is accessible in light of internet insecurity. Strategies for accessibility range from social media promotion to mobile friendly digital layouts, as well as a discussion of the continued importance of the print newspaper in connecting and informing rural communities.
Degree
M.A.
Thesis Department
Rights
OpenAccess.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License.