In my earlier post, I asked whether people would pay to read brands online — whether as consumers of digital content we still develop deep affinities for specific content providers. This new study from Pew suggests that most consumers don’t turn to a single news brand online; in fact, 57% get their Web-based news from 2 to 5 sources, while just 21% regularly turn to one source for news and information. This at least indicates the challenges of building an online news brand, when so many people retrieve news from a mulitude of sources (not to mention the vast number that receives news through social networks or email forwards).

A telling quote from the study:

“Moreover, many do not have strong loyalty to particular online sources. When asked whether they have a favorite online news source, the majority of online news users (65%) say they do not. Among those who do, the most popular sites are those of major news organizations such as … CNN and Fox.”