Diffusion of information : an insight into the approach of how news travel

Abstract

This dissertation portrays the flow on information and how people got to know about a news event. It also manifests the different methods used by the Maltese population to acquire their information. The focus of the study lies in giving a general overview of how people got to know about a particular event that took place. It posits the question whethe1· they found out through interpersonal means or through the mass media and if so, which type. This disser1a1ion 11Jso conveys the historical development ofthe media together with past research of how information flows an<l examples of events, which illustrate how information Hows in a connnumty, city or country. The research was conducted through telephone interviews, as it had to be done fast because news diffusion takes place within hours. The interviewees were selected using computer generated random phone numbers to supply quantitative information. The study focused on the results of the E.U. Referendum, and how people got to know whether the outcome was a 'yes' or a 'no' result.