Mobile journalism is the leading source of news for adults in the US

Many more adults are relying on their smartphones in order to access news updates. Photo courtesy of Pew Internet and American Life Project

Mobile devices have become the leading source of news for adults in the US, new data has shown.

A report published by the Pew Internet and American Life Project indicates that 47 per cent of adults in the US use a smartphone or other mobile device in order to access their local and national news.

The figures also show an increase in the number of adults who are looking to their smartphones and mobiles for day-to-day weather updates, social media activity and local information about businesses and restaurants.

Top five mobiles with HD video

The iPhone 4 makes it inot the Top Five. Photo: k-ideas.

Massive advances made in mobile phone video technology have meant that many of the videos put up on newspaper websites come from citizen journalists. With the release of mobiles with HD video, this is happening more and more often. Should you find yourself at the scene of a news breaking event, here are the phones you want to have.

Top Five phones with HD video:

1. Samsung Galaxy S (I9000)
A decent camera which supports 720p video recording. Built-in 16GB memory (2GB reserved for apps). No camera flash and one-day battery life.

2. Apple iPhone 4
A big player in the smartphone wars. Much better battery life compared to the old iPhone.

Nearly half of subscribers access FT online via mobile

The Financial Times sees the future in the mobile. Photo: agenciaacn.

Nearly half of subscribers to the Financial Times website are accessing content using their mobile phone.

Robert Grimshaw, the managing director of the FT online, has said that 45 per cent of digital subscribers and registered users access FT news via mobile platforms.

In an interview with Beet.tv Grimshaw said: “I think it demonstrates actually how quickly the audience is picking up mobile devices and shifting away from the desktop and into the many new digital channels that are emerging.”

Advertisers are also shifting towards the mobile. Grimshaw said that about a third of advertisers in the digital space are now asking for mobile elements when they give advertising briefs.

More time spent following the news thanks to mobiles

The Daily Telegraph App. Photo: Scorpions and Centaurs.

The internet and mobile technologies are at the centre of how people access news. Research has shown that 33 per cent of people who own a mobile in America use it to find out about what’s happening in the world. News has become easily portable.

Princeton Survey Research International, who conducted the survey in January this year, has also found that Americans are reading the news for longer thanks to digital platforms.