Abstract

This article examines the relationship that young communication and journalism students from different Latin American universities have with information and news consumption habits. Within this framework, the objective of this work is to understand what being informed means for communication and journalism students and to identify the topics on which they focus their interest in being informed. The study is based on a qualitative approach. The fieldwork consisted of 97 focus groups conducted in 37 Latin American universities in nine (9) countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The results indicate that the reasons for seeking information focus on the connection with the environment, personal interest, career demands, and social responsibilities or demands. It is reaffirmed that news consumption is carried out fortuitously, incidentally, and mostly through social networks and digital media. The students consulted are informed in order to stay connected to their contexts and make decisions. At the same time, they distance themselves from information understood in terms of topicality and relevance, to explore other topics based on their tastes and desires.