News Diffusion

News diffusion is the process by which information about people, events, and trends flows through society. The systematic study of news diffusion began in 1945 when Delbert Miller investigated news flow about President Franklin Roosevelt’s death. His findings launched the theoretical study of news diffusion. Miller found that after initial exposure to the information via the radio, word of mouth was the primary means in which the information spread; thus, the majority of people found out about Roosevelt’s death via personal contact.

Research of news diffusion has tended to spike during periods marked by significant news stories. For example, a 2003 study found that 97% of Americans knew about the destruction of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, within 3 hours of the attack. ...