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As daily print newspaper readership continues to slide, the news media have been searching for ways to reach niche audiences. Daily newspaper reading in the United States has dropped steadily in every age group since 2004,1 with 23 percent of young adults (ages 18-24) reporting having read a newspaper the day before in 2011 compared to 59 percent of those 65 and older. Young adults are a sought-after niche news demographic. But studies have shown their experience reading the news has not always been positive.2 Gratifications obtained or not obtained from reading the news can influence readers' expectations of their media choices, according to the uses and gratifications approach.3 Similarly, readers' expectations of news content can influence media choices and gratifications sought.4The present uses and gratifications study centers on a single step: Expectations. This mental step occurs during, but is not limited to, the selectivity stage before exposure in the communication process.5 This experimental study is different in that it examines the expectations that a sample of young adults (18-24) have before reading hard news stories and then attempts to improve reading experiences. The author tests four storytelling techniques aimed to improve news reading expectations. The storytelling techniques were developed from previous studies that have cited reasons for why more young adults choose not to read print newspaper stories. Those reasons include difficulty of reading, relevance and interest. By understanding the expectations that young readers may have toward certain hard news stories, publishers could improve upon how stories are told and presented and, ultimately, reach more young adult news consumers.Literature ReviewThe uses and gratifications approach explains how people are active in selecting certain media to satisfy needs.6 People are aware of their media use motives and can describe them.7 Media uses include: escape, companionship, personal identity, surveillance, social use, entertainment and guidance.8 In 1985, Palmgreen, Wenner and Rosengren outlined a theoretical model of uses and gratifications that included: society and culture; media structure and technology; media content; media habits; beliefs and expectations of the media; felt needs; salient values and attitudes; gratifications sought; communicative behavior (consumption and non-media activities); effects; and individual characteristics-all factors that can influence a person's media choice and use.9ExpectationsThe construct of expectations, a step in the uses and gratifications process, varies. The term has been used interchangeably with gratifications.10 Audience expectations have been defined as the characteristics of media and the potential gratifications obtained from them.11 Palmgreen and Rayburn found that gratifications sought are a function of a person's beliefs that a source possesses certain attributes.12 Theorists have built and expanded models regarding how expectances/beliefs and evaluations positively work together to: shape people's attitudes,13 influence gratification-sought behaviors14 and affect news media consumption.15 Beliefs can be formed through direct observation, inferences (i.e. past observations) and from sources.16 Rayburn and Palmgreen developed an expectancy-value model that demonstrates how beliefs and evaluations influence, gratifications sought, leading to media consumption, the outcome of which are gratifications obtained, which support or change beliefs.17 Palmgreen demonstrated how the belief that a medium has a negative attribute could lead to "true avoidance" of a medium versus a medium absent of a positive attribute, which leads to seeking alternatives.18Numerous studies have examined why people choose not to read print newspapers. Those reasons include: time, inconvenience, comprehension, relevance, interest and cost. The present study examines three of those oftencited nonuses that specifically involve news content-relevance, interest and comprehension-along with informativeness. …

Using the frameworks of innovation diffusion and technology acceptance model, this study examines the predictors of mobile news consumption among young adults. The results show that the perceived relative advantage (especially content), utility, and ease of use of mobile news are positively related to its adoption. The young adults’ news consumption patterns and preferences, as well as media usage, all play a role in the adoption of mobile news. This study also validates the importance of examining the adoption outcome from multiple perspectives.

Focus groups in three cities were conducted with young adults (ages 18–29) to understand why they don't read daily print newspapers. The study examined news media avoidances, like “inconvenience” and “lack of time,” to uncover underlying meanings. Results showed prominent nonuse reasons have dimensions. Participants also suggested ways newspapers could improve. Participants were studied as two age groups, 18–24 and 25–29. Small group differences did emerge. The older group wanted less negative news, while the younger group justified it; the younger age group was more skeptical of the news and mentioned needing greater effort to understand it.