Abstract
This paper reviews diffusion of on-line research at daily newspapers in the USA
during a five-year period from 1994 to 1998. Diffusion literature indicates new
technical innovations require certain social and economic conditions and other
factors before adoption begins. Once the adoption process begins, it takes place in
stages before reaching critical mass. Data collected in this study confirms Everett
M. Rogers' process model. The World Wide Web has become the dominant on-line
research tool for journalists. Commercial services that provide access to government
databases and archival databases, such as those containing newspapers and magazines,
are also in wide use. While general computer use in newsrooms has increased, so has
the frequency of use of on-line services. Primary resources used to search the web
are AltaVista and Yahoo! and journalists most often used government sites. Internet
technologies were not widely used during the five years studied. Adoption of
computers and the internet- web appear complete, but the adoption process in some
advanced-use categories remains in process.