According to a recent report from Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project, Americans are accessing news in real time over multiple devices. Over a quarter of us (26 percent) are now getting our news via phone, according to the survey. 

Only seven percent of those surveyed claimed to receive news from a single media platform, while 46 percent said that they get news from four to six media platforms on any given day. The Internet has become the third most popular platform behind local and national television news. 

What is the big draw? Just as it is with traditional news, weather is the hot topic, with 72 percent of respondents stating that it is their first concern when checking news, with 68 percent saying that current events is their primary concern. 

Not surprisingly, younger people are more likely to utilize their mobile devices for news. Almost half (43 percent) of those surveyed under 50 years of age stated that they are mobile news consumers, compared to only 15 percent of those over 50. 

Given the multi-platform media environment we now live in, the report states that our relationship to news has become more portable, personalized and participatory, citing these statistics: 

• Portable: 33 percent of cell phone owners now access news on their cell phones. 

• Personalized: 28 percent of Internet users have customized their home page to include news from sources and on topics that particularly interest them. 

• Participatory: 37 percent of Internet users have contributed to the creation of news, commented about it, or disseminated it via postings on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter.