Contest coincides with release of new data indicating younger newspaper readers
are more likely to participate in elections as adults
Arlington, Va. – A teenager from Charlottesville, Va., is the winner of a national contest that asked teens to submit a video on YouTube showing how newspapers fit into their everyday lives. The Newspaper Association of America Foundation sponsored the contest and awarded first place to Danny Vigour, a 19-year-old high school senior who used poetry to show how he and his friends interact with newspapers – for anything from staying in-tune with politics to checking out the latest fashions in “Style.” Vigour will receive a new iPhone and a trip to NAA’s 2008 Capitol Conference in Washington, D.C.
“What we saw on these videos amused us, surprised us, and at times, worried us,” said Jim Abbott, vice president of the NAA Foundation. “For example, the first submission we reviewed listed reasons why teens don’t read newspapers,” Abbott said. While subsequent video submissions generally were positive, “it’s obvious newspapers haven’t cracked the code in reaching all teens. This is a generation with media options like no generation before them. The contest provided important insight on what’s working. We believe the fight for young readers – long and difficult as it might be – is winnable.”
View the winning video and other honorable mentions at www.naafoundation.org.
Latest Research: Newspaper readers more likely to vote at the polls than non-readers
The Foundation’s YouTube contest comes as presidential primaries are in full swing, and new NAA Foundation research indicates that newspaper readership during youth impacts voting behavior and civic engagement as adults. According to the latest NAA Foundation study, nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of respondents who read newspapers during youth said they voted in the 2004 presidential election, compared with 58 percent of those who voted but had no newspaper exposure. In addition, 61 percent of 25-to-34-year-olds with early newspaper interactions voted in the 2006 local election, compared with just 44 percent who voted but said they had no interaction with newspapers during youth.
The study, “Lifelong Readers: Driving Civic Engagement,” shows that as the number of newspaper influences in a young person’s life increases, the likelihood of future voting behavior (as well as other civic behaviors) rises dramatically.
Additional findings:
According to the study, respondents who remembered having three newspaper influences when they were younger – newspapers in the classroom, as homework assignments and exposure to teen content – were significantly more likely to engage in voting activity than those who had no such exposure to newspapers during their youth. Of the 25- to 34-year-olds who said they used newspapers growing up:
- 27 percent were engaged in the 2006 local election, saying they tried to convince others to vote for or against a particular political party, wore a campaign button, or placed a sign during the 2006 election (vs. 19 percent of those with no newspaper exposure).
- 24 percent said they donated money to a candidate or an organization supporting a candidate (compared with 13 percent of those who donated but had no newspaper influence).
- 72 percent voted in the 2004 presidential election, (compared with 58 percent who voted but had no newspaper influence).
- 78 percent are registered to vote in their state (compared with 71 percent of those with no newspaper exposure).
- 38 percent tried to convince others to vote for or against a party, or wear a button, place a sign, etc., supporting a candidate (vs. 28 percent of those with no newspaper influences)
- 50 percent tried to convince others to vote for or against one of the parties or candidates in an election (compared with 40 percent of those with no newspaper exposure)
- 24 percent have volunteered for a political organization or candidate running for office (vs. 11 percent)
About Danny Vigour
Vigour is a senior at Tandem Friends High School in Charlottesville, Va. He currently is working on a DVD “video yearbook” for his school, a supplement to the traditional paper-bound version. Throughout high school, Vigour has produced short films ranging from comedies to documentaries to experimental works. Vigour plans to attend a four-year film program after graduation, and is inspired by filmmaker Robert Rodriguez who says that, “If you're creative and technical, you're unstoppable.” His favorite newspaper is The Washington Post, and he also enjoys reading his local newspaper, The Daily Progress.
Said Vigour: “I am delighted and honored to have been selected as the winner of the Foundation’s ‘Driving Newspapers’ contest. The video I produced stemmed from actual conversations I had with my peers about the purpose newspapers had in their lives. These conversations served as the catalyst for the film’s narrative, I'm very pleased to contribute to the Foundation's goal of supporting student interest in newspapers and appreciating our right to free speech and press.”
About the Foundation
The NAA Foundation strives to develop engaged and literate citizens in our diverse society through investment in and support of programs designed to enhance student achievement through newspaper readership and appreciation of the First Amendment. Information about the Foundation and its programs may be found at www.naafoundation.org.