LONDON, September 18 /PRNewswire/ --

- News Information Mania Sweeps the UK

- Brits Take in a Whopping 13 News Stories Every Single Day and 275,000 
in a Lifetime

- Internet Considered More Accurate Than Newspapers and Magazines

A new study(1) out today from TalkTalk suggests that Britons are
better informed than ever before with millions of us confessing an obsession
with keeping abreast of current affairs. And driving this epidemic of
NINFOMANIA - that's News Information Mania - is the internet.

Indeed, the internet's inherent ability to provide a wealth of
accessible and instantaneous news means that the average UK adult will now
consume well over 275,000 news stories in their lifetime. The internet is the
most frequently checked medium for news stories - with the average Briton
checking online for news some 3 times per day - that's the same amount of
times the average Briton switches the kettle on each day to make a brew!(2).
And, a whopping one-in-ten news-addicted Brits (4.5 million adults), now
check the internet 6 times or more to catch up on a news story every day.

The study from TalkTalk, the home phone and broadband company,
found that the average UK adult digests 13 different news stories across TV,
radio, newspapers and the internet per day. And one in six adults -
equivalent to 7.8 million people - are clearly NINFOMANIACS, consuming more
than 20 news stories a day. Only 1% said they never catch up with the news.

While home news stories make up the biggest proportion of
people's news consumption (33%), foreign affairs comes a surprise second on
20% - as the internet has made international sources such as Le Figaro, The
New York Times and Al Jazeera more accessible than ever before. So much so
that international news stories were deemed more popular than sports (16%),
entertainment (13%) and health news (8%).

The research also found that people appreciate and understand
the different attributes that different media can bring to the news. While
the internet was thought best for getting a headline 'snapshot' of the news
(according to 50%) and for the most up-to-date information (68%), print was
considered best for engaging articles (62%) and providing depth of
information (53%). TV, meanwhile, was thought best for accuracy of
information (65%) and providing commentary (58%) and analysis of the news
(65%).

TV news channels were deemed the most reliable medium for
providing accurate news reporting, ahead of (in order) national radio,
broadsheets, and regional radio. But interestingly, internet news was
considered to be more accurate (according to 37%) than both newspapers and
magazines (24%), and more engaging than TV (37% for the internet versus 30%
for TV).

Dominic Stinton of TalkTalk commented: "Now we are all exposed
to a huge wealth of information every day - not just online but across all
media - which makes us better informed than ever about what's going in the
world. However the internet does enable us to access so many different
interpretations of a news story - from FOX News, to Al Jazeera and the BBC,
meaning we can often make a much more informed opinion ourselves.

"Some of the most interesting findings in this research
demonstrate how people have come to rely on the internet for news above any
other medium, and how much credibility they give it. Despite concerns about
misinformation on the web, it seems that people are going to news sources
they trust and now view surfing the internet as much a part of their news
routine as watching the evening bulletin on TV."

Commenting on the research, former Newsround presenter, John
Craven, said:

"It is amazing how news broadcasting has changed since I
started Newsround on BBC One in 1972. Hard to believe that at 5pm it was the
first television news bulletin of the day. Now we have 24 hour news channels
on television and radio and something we could never have dreamed of only a
few years ago and the internet giving us the latest news the instant we want
it. I have always been a news junkie waiting for the next big story to break.
Now it seems everyone else is, too."

Table one: Top five channels for news consumption

    Rank        Medium           Number of times checked
                                 per day for news stories

    1           Internet         3.0
    2           TV               2.6
    3           Radio            1.6
    4           Newspapers       1.2
    5           Mobile phone     0.1

Table two: Top five categories of news stories by consumption

    Rank         Type of story     Percentage
    1            Home news         33
    2            Foreign affairs   20
    3            Sport             16
    4            Entertainment     13
    5            Health            8



Notes to editors

(1) Research conducted by ICM of 1053 adults aged 18+, August 2008.

(2) According to research from the UK Tea Council

Regional research figures available on request

LONDON, September 18 /PRNewswire/ --