Most local news still flows from newspapers even as an Internet-driven upheaval diminishes the depth of their coverage, according to a study to be released Monday. The findings are based on an analysis of how local news stories evolved in Baltimore during one week last summer. The review by Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism monitored 53 media outlets - newspapers, television and radio stations and Web-only operations. Newspapers and their Web sites provided 61 percent of the original reporting or fresh information on six major news stories that unfolded during the week of July 19-25, the study found. Local television stations and their Web sites accounted for 28 percent of the new information, followed by radio stations and their sites at 7 percent and Internet-only "new media" at 4 percent. The conclusions bolster the arguments of newspaper publishers and editors who trumpet their publications as indispensable sources of information about their communities.
