News Sites Show No Signs Of War Fatigue
Traffic to internet news sites shows no sign of slowing as the US led military attack against Iraq enters its third week.
According to reports from Hitwise, traffic to news sites increased by 6% in the last two weeks. In contrast viewing levels for Sky News, BBC News 24 and ITN News steadily fell over the past week (see War Fatigue Hits 24 Hour News Channels).
The Guardian continues to be the most visited print media site. However, the Mirror’s online site, has experienced a surge in traffic, increasing its ranking by 28 places over the past few days, making it the 12th most visited print media site in the last fortnight.
The increasing success of the Mirror’s online site, follows its highly publicised anti-war stance, which has ignited speculation that the paper’s circulation figure will drop below the crucial 2 million mark this month (see Daily Mirror Under Pressure Over Anti-War Stance).
The continued success of internet news sites in the face of falling television has been attributed to two key facts. Firstly, a great deal of traffic to news sites is built up during work hours, as consumers log on throughout the day to follow the unfolding conflict. Secondly, the war has triggered a great deal of international traffic to news sites such as Guardian Unlimited, especially from the United States. Some Americans have been actively seeking news from foreign news services following widespread criticism of the mainstream media’s failure to reflect the extent of public opposition to the conflict.
Earlier this month, Hitwise revealed that BBC News was the most visited non-print news website in the UK on the outbreak of war. The site attracted 5.5% of visits made to the category, representing an increase of 43% on the previous week (see War Coverage Dominates Online Usage).
www.mirror.co.uk www.guardian.co.uk Hitwise: 020 7378 3600 www.hitwise.co.uk
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