Preaching to the choir? An analysis of newspaper readability vis-a-vis public literacy

Abstract

This study examined the interplay among readability, literacy, story type, and demographics in regard to the complexity of local newspaper content. Literacy data were derived from the US Census Bureau’s 2014 American Community Survey and readability data were derived from a content analysis of a random sample of 400 county level newspaper articles in Texas. Readability was measured dually by the Flesch–Kincaid grade reading level and the Flesch reading ease scale. On average, the news articles were written at an 11.63 grade level and a 47.78 ease level. With a 77 percent high school attainment level among residents in the population under study, these readability levels mean that the news articles were written at a level marginally comprehensible to a majority of potential readers. Additionally, business news was written at a 12.32 grade level making it even less comprehensible to a majority of potential readers. Hard news was the second most complex story type with an 11.98 grade level. Overall, residents age 65 and over had the lowest comprehension threshold, despite being the most likely to read newspapers on a daily basis. The author also discusses the implications to local news readability.