Beyond Convergence : User Evaluations of Identical Syndicated News Content Across Media

Abstract

This study examines how online content consumers evaluate the credibility of the media they read on the Internet. Both qualitative and quantitative methods are used to explore whether individuals evaluate identical content differently based upon the media type that displays the news. Survey results indicate that individuals rated news appearing on blogs as less credible than identical news articles syndicated on mainstream news Web sites. Additionally, when interviewed participants claimed to be able to easily distinguish between blogs and traditional news content, but struggled to provide specific criteria to make distinctions. Taken together these results suggest a mismatch between what individuals say is credible, and how they actually make assessments.