This article explores perceptions of news credibility for television, newspapers, and online news. A survey was administered to a randomly selected sample of residents in Austin, Texas, to assess people's attitudes toward these 3 media channels. Contingent factors that might influence news credibility perceptions, such as media use and interpersonal discussion of news, were incorporated into the analysis. Findings suggest that people are generally skeptical of news emanating from all 3 media channels but do rate newspapers with the highest credibility, followed by online news and television news, respectively. Furthermore, opinions about news credibility seem to be correlated across media outlets. The data also show a moderate negative linkage between interpersonal discussion of news and perceptions of media credibility for television news but not for newspapers. When controlling for basic demographics, a positive correlation was found between interpersonal communication and online news credibility. Final...

Public Trust or Mistrust? Perceptions of Media Credibility in the Information Age

Technological capabilities and features of the Internet and World Wide Web have prompted concerns about the verity of online information, the credibility of new media, and the new responsibilities placed on media consumers. Reflecting these concerns, scholars have shown a renewed interest in the credibility of sources, their messages, and the media that carry them. Nonetheless, researchers who are currently reengaging the issue of information credibility have yet to take full advantage of the rich heritage left by credibility research conducted over the last half century. The primary aim of this chapter is to show how past research can inform present attempts to understand credibility in the new media environment, focusing particularly on Web-based information. Toward that end, this chapter reviews, synthesizes, and integrates the substantial literature on source, message, and media credibility; addresses issues of credibility conceptualization, operationalization, and measurement; suggests strategies to ...

Credibility for the 21st Century: Integrating Perspectives on Source, Message, and Media Credibility in the Contemporary Media Environment

Three decades of research involving the definition and measurement of the source credibility construct are reviewed and a new study reported. It is concluded that factor analytic research reported over the past decade has strayed from the original credibility/ethos construct and has treated that construct as virtually isomorphic with the construct of person perception. It is argued that future factor analytic studies of source credibility would serve no useful purpose, that the historical definitions of the construct should be retained, and that satisfactory measures of that construct already exist.

Ethos and credibility: The construct and its measurement after three decades

La communication dite «relationnelle» est traditionnellement reputee se deployer selon deux ou trois dimensions. On presente ici, a partir d'une analyse multidisciplinaire (anthropologie, psychotherapie, expression des emotions, analyse de contenu...) un schema en douze dimensions: dominance/soumission, intimite, affection/hostilite, implication personnelle, inclusion/exclusion, confiance, profondeur/superficialite, vivacite des emotions, sang-froid, ressemblance, formalisme, socialite

The fundamental topoi of relational communication

Contents: Preface Part I: Studying "Theory" -- Doing "Research" DW Stacks, MB Salwen, Integrating Theory and Research: Starting With Questions SH Chaffee, Thinking About Theory MJ Beatty, Thinking Quantitatively JA Anderson, Thinking Qualitatively: Hermeneutics in Science Part II: Mass Communication Approaches and Concerns BS Greenberg, MB Salwen, Mass Communication Theory and Research: Concepts and Models PJ Shoemaker, Media Gatekeeping M McCombs, T Bell, The Agenda-Setting Role of Mass Communication N Signorielli, M Morgan, Cultivation Analysis: Research and Practice C Gaziano, E Gaziano, Theories and Methods in Knowledge Gap Research Since 1970 JD Rayburn, II, Uses and Gratifications CT Salmon, CJ Glynn, Spiral of Silence: Communication and Public Opinion as Social Control RL Stevenson, International Communication J Bryant, D Zillmann, Violence and Sex in the Media E Thorson, Advertising Part III: Human Communication Approaches and Concerns JC McCroskey, VP Richmond, Human Communication Theory and Research: Traditions and Models WR Fisher, SD O'Leary, The Rhetorician's Quest MD Miller, TR Levine, Persuasion CR Berger, Interpersonal Communication E Nieva, M Hickson, III, Modeling Cultures: Toward Grounded Paradigms T Steinfatt, DM Christophel, Intercultural Communication B Goss, Intrapersonal Communication AS Ebesu, JK Burgoon, Nonverbal Communication R Hirokawa, AJ Salazar, L Erbert, RJ Ice, Small Group Communication BJ Allen, P Tompkins, S Busemeyer, Organizational Communication Part IV: Integrated Approaches to Communication KK Reardon, EG de Pillis, Multichannel Leadership: Revisiting the False Dichotomy EM Rogers, A Sing

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An Integrated Approach to Communication Theory and Research

On the assumption that a teacher's credibility with his students is related to student learning, a measure of teacher credibility was developed and tested. Data obtained from 1,80 students in basic speech communication courses from two universities indicated five dimensions of teacher credibility: “Character,” “Sociability,” “Composure,” “Extroversion,” and “Competence.” These dimensions were found useful for predicting some aspects of student learning. A 14‐item instrument for the measurement of teacher credibility is recommended.

William Holdridge

Papers

An instrument for measuring the source credibility of basic speech communication instructors