Q: Reputable Sources: Online?

Q: Since we can only virtually see what is being presented through communication through blogging, how can we actually believe the content? Should there be a set of standards or just pure faith in its measurement? Esther Michell, April 19.

Thank you for the good question Esther. As with any information we receive, we must consider the source and the context. Information from online sources like blogs, virtual communities, news, business, and government sites differ in credibility, intent, and bias. Online news sites hosted 112 million visitors in the first quarter of 2006 and some internet users only receive online news (NAA, 2006 as cited in Cassidy, 2007). Journalism’s goal is reporting unbiased information from creditable sources. A journalist perceives his or her role as either neutral, using only verified sources, or dig for the real story and investigate claims. (Cassidy, 2007). The public trust in media has declined, 60% of Americans believe that the media in politically biased. The public’s perceived credibility of ABC dropped from 83% in 1985 to 65% in 2002 (Cassidy, 2007). Journalists rate online sources lower than print and TV because they believe that the immediacy that stories can be posted online creates many errors (Cassidy, 2007). A website’s perceived credibility is influenced by the design, genre, expertise, and trustworthiness. Newssites are perceived more creditible than web blogs and personal websites (Flanagin, 2007).


References:
Cassidy, W. P. (2007). Online news credibility: An examination of the perceptions of newspaper journalists. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12, Article 7. Retrieved May 1, 2007, from http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol12/issue2/cassidy.html

Flanagin, A. J., & Metzger, M. J. (2007). The role of site features, user attributes, and information verification behaviors on the perceived credibility of web-based information. New Media & Society, 9, 319-342.