Do Reconstructive and Attributive Quotes in News Narratives Influence Engagement, Credibility and Realism?

Abstract

Current trends of declining newspaper circulation on the one hand and the public distrust in the news media on the other stress the need for journalistic texts that the audience finds to be both engaging and credible. This study therefore tests the effects of two quotation types—(1) reconstructive quotes presenting what was said and thought by news actors during the news events, and (2) attributive quotes attributing information to news sources after the events took place—on readers’ engagement with and perceived credibility and realism of news narratives. In an experiment (N = 123), participants read a crime news narrative that included either only reconstructive quotes, only attributive quotes, both reconstructive and attributive quotes, or no quotes at all. Results indicated no differences between the four story versions in levels of engagement, perceived credibility and perceived realism. These findings challenge results from previous research as well as textbook recommendations, suggesting that readers’ experience and critical evaluation of news narratives are not necessarily influenced by quotations.