Levi On. Considering Credibility, the Lack of Fielcoivedtoohfl Ct in News
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'.:',04Pr$04,W; , 4. alans; 4oey Orangegt 'The .Credt bfiUty ...91 Log*" Ne,paper Ne:r (Sources. pup D A:VA T... tfil)er preiented at the Annual' Neeii,ng eech,Commun cation Association (6,5th,. SC1. 'Nova 10-1,097g)- 1O1e7CO174.:us Posta'ge..) BSC3R,TR , ..:.,,Lik:c-re:, ibili_ 1,1 Joutnalisim ;,al ,Issueiz'llasi Media: ,tid-la.~11-esearch; -*NewtpaperSz *News lieporting.: 4.!1)0Iic . , Opinion; levion. -..t....,04,./4-,,--....... ... f$,STRICCT It '114.1ePhote.4/survey-.Were .conslu ted Li.-nDetrOit,Atild-qr72t apids. Iiiichigan; to assess both the,srelative credibtaityo:f presentoti'onby the localfinews media and rpondents4easbis for s'Ing tthese vedia. Vie rests su.pported preiou s. r43s-earch ',0n-local Deys crtedilb4itysuggestitg.t tel,eVisiow. 'WAS the mem leliewabl.ie 'medium.' even' in a cal,cOntext.' 'Althou gh simIlar in.struments were iised in .both cities, ',differences between;Det'roit andGrand' Ilapits .cFredibillity data suggested that cross-ci .3, ..comparisqns may n9t,always* .tie .valird. Different rea.sosnis tom', using me Avere found it the two 'i Cities' 4suilgesting that future researsch, media creditility should. considerL the effects- of media environuent, 1iferc2.49 position, Fomikunity' size, and community structure on media use befo're , considering credibility, the lack of fielcoivedtoohfl ct in news 'presentation' between lical television .and*newspaper ggested that hypothetical cpntlict situations may not bvfaid asses mepts of -.prediibility. (Authon)t /*--\ Nit- r' e "N. ********************44!******** ***************** * **** eproducqons supplied by EDRS are the best-ethat: ca qe * ,afrom.+he original doCument, * *****.** ***** **,ft********4..****, 20* *************** *** ***eve* .s.u1rAmm1tio914SALT-40. EDUCRTION WIILPARE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OP e scrucalvION THIS DOCUMENT HAS SEEN REPRO% ' DUCED EXACTLY. AS RECEIVED F ChM THE PEW OR ORGANIZATION ORIGIN% AT fototit- TSorVIEW OR OPINtONS STAYED N HECESSAR tot RrOE. T OFF KIN.Allow/Lt. INSTETUTE tOUCAT JOH POSIITIO# OR POLICY APPLES AND ORANG nig -auumartv a -2,2 .LogAL TELETnION AND NEWSPAPER NEWS*80Ult,CES by NM. Ja W:Zena Depar ment b Telecammtnlications Indiana University omin$ton,Indian447405. ' ° and . Doccpral Candl.date 'Mass Media Ph.D.'Prograv Michigan State'Univsxoity 322,Union-B4ldifig .East Lansing, Vichigan 48824 and Joey Reagan 'Doctoral Candidate Mass Media Ph.D... Program Michigan State University N. St "PE7R4SION To RE:PRODUCETHIS MATER At HAS BEEN.GRANTED BY .jayne W. Zenaty joe Reagan '1 p. TO TFIR EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFO '''IATION CENTER (ERIC).- Presented to the'Mass Communication Division:SpeechCommunhatIon Ass ciation, ., ntonio, Texas, November 1.979 , San . S. ) , ao` - . OPUS AND Gzs,r...THEcutouiTyOF, LOCAla TELMSION AND NEWSFAPgRNEWS.tOURCES ,Abstract: The-,s3Aors conducted, a: eelephone.linviey Michigan, to as eis the ive tredikility of newt p television and local newpapers,- as well -as respond*nts . me4. 4 The- rdsults supported previsous research onlocal news crectibility 4(hich . !' . -. =found television to be the'poreiFelievable medium, even in alocaLcontext, . -.., . I In addition; although siMilar iTruments mere'toedn both cities:, differenCes" . .. -. between Detroit and Grand Rapidscredibillty'data suggested that'Croasc compariions may-not alws be valid. 4 'The authors also founddifferent reasons.formedia use,in'the o c ties,- suggesting that future researchin credibilitx should cosiier ihe effe-tsfofmediaenvironment, life-cycle ition,- and,com04pity sizeand s;4 structure on medila use .heforeconsidering eft±bility(-7-)They 41SO:fol.-Inda lact of a perceiVed conflict in news presentaion b tween,loca) televisio#'-news and newspapeVSsuggesting that hypotheticalonflisituations mey lot, be valid assessments of credibility#, and'that more .releveint criteria for comparison , based on respondents'realo tor media use, .aliould be emplloyed. f a art. t.v., 4,451,1.t; 111% IX.`" `,..4.41*Xtv*.***Ixx 3.0q ,11i"tett, t'':' ,,--.:.?"-:',' 'IA , :::,"-s y'..-,',,, ', '" 1.141. t - t... * '4".' .s, x 4., 4 r . , X. Se ., v.*4 s',..' '. t , A. *, , t , tt, . ., Pus AND RAN ,p134.1 =:,OF 4, . O,1 , . ., ., - 'LOCAL .TELVTS,Xqi :401pEt.ISPAPO 'NEOS SOURCES . ._ # , , Troia- the 41-411S.&Or1the,prese televisiori That ,c;cintinUed t e - - - 'des.rib ajhe major source of ws and.themosi believable iiass1L edium.tOr..1, X I of .Amercaus. z ReSearth 'conducted by the*ROper '77) -ane byacademic 'Social sciet,'Itists- ,(Cap.teix -and'Greenberg; ,196,6; 5. 9teenberg', 1966, ..Jacobso, 1969'; 1.1estley and Severtn,..197 Wilson', 19771 has. , , :'Uown \the rising' dependence" on(Ind, Increasing credibility f televis±on Pews- , Criticisms of' qe Roper studies and other, similar researth have centered on the- point that,. tAle respOndent!s cognitIce Teference paint fbi television - . .,. w probably. ne,twork 'news rather'than local' TV' news, 'While the respOndeltis , .,. .,. 4 , , ,* , ,- newapaper referent i4 not a national but a loCalnewsPep er(Greedb4g .and RD:1(3ff, , . 1974). ,Additio lay, these sttdiei hive- dich6tdiniz d the espondent is source 7 ) t'adio 'OR -±tt e4 information* , into televisionOR -/newspaper , ,cases), failineto ap)diowledgethe fact that according to a cent Stirver.by ei-e-- , . , . , l'er .... the Newspaper* Adver tising Bureau ,(Bdga 77), 70 percint of those who wattrh , ... television news also read a newscaper regularly. Tew studC onsidered t. * . ie quality and uility of the news gattred tofm T ' Abel and Wir (1977) with the ,tirst critiaik in conducted asurvey F. - o the Detroit petropolican area and specifically * 'respondents 'to compare , Si thez, local newspa,er they read with thloa1 television stationthey, viewed. They used tw? 'zest ds to assesscredibilit (1) forced Choice where the Z. vat repondent had to select 'the medium itheWou4 belieVe A./hen preneRkeid v , Vs, 4. X 1 I. k - . .'!s'. k..... ,. , 'ON -....,'I.v -.... ,,,,\,' Z!,,-,."`' - ,. :". '. s' , .: \ las.1,a as. 4,-., '.. '.. ;rs .ts "-5.V.-- "`,.'y \ \ . : .',..',- -SS.S ." ii'',...0.1-4:4 \ s.,., , ',..., . ..i.,-. 0 .. .. - :''` -' , -,,- , i 0 i - ,eich'441.gmis - conflicting-news ,reportd, and (2) '-aseparate ,aiselsnient-of 4 -"tru fuln+ on a scale of0..0. 100 percent.The 4.',importance!" of'-new's , 555 .1 -Z. '",';,k . , ,-,,..,:-,,,,,,,, JANA,,, 4: .......... .2.., ., , It*, ....** ,..- 5'4:.7.,....`...5 ....441:: Presented tsy-eachmedium also.,wass\assessedS usingttie same. Percentage- soale, - .t....:'I.- ' for comparison of , tett, even giyen the local contet .-The researchers f6und .-.. reported' tobe h more truthful 7 newspapers withtelevisiont tel*viSioflawe . * ilore ,imp."ftent neW .44 4141. ,t,pik,c,"presente_d .: `\, . , and, Wirthimportance" 'and Reekgan And Zane 1 7?) tested the Abel / , >,*t. , le, Ss NI' 1 4' -"trupfulness" ,scales in OrandRapids, Michigan,snot :Major market, and , .c . that respondents.Were'" included'el.#n more' specilit questions to better insur .... .....,,.., it 4 a . with nelfs in newspapers. ThiY- %tomparing.tidividuallocal. ITV station n'evis , relited'::The iperoeived , , assessed respondentt'smedia use to secif such use andn.)iwitpipesrs.- credibil,ity and ,iraportance-ofte144isiOn " eir resulti'supporteci\ the Abel and Wirth tfindi ,hat,-television is 41. local, news perceive'd -§e a more ctedible,truthful and ant source of given the localcoat of,the compariso ,The tilts.. tha,r1 the newspaper, even ). '/ 4 in favor of television Brand' Ra a ..one--tellspaperi,:market , .: were ,more extreme .-. 4 an ±n theDetsroit study., :Which sugge teti ,c'h'iat ,tstrength, of the particular of mpl /Available, in.thl market may' affect , edia irrplved and the ,numbet\ , ' ,*, '-; - q4-nfwspaper cities add.ambiguous support. credibil.ity.-Earlier studies,.4 , s. ,..., ,t , moiejr4sidentsofgilene, Oregon,bellov'tenews- Lemert0100) ..found that ,-, * that iiaper as a 1°41 newssourtie Ithan.televisio ile SteMpel: (19711 found Zanesville, Ohio, citiz)insfavored.\- tevision slightly over, the newspaper as.,* .. 'It/ ,. credible sour,ce of localnews.'5 k . 4. .. / . The present Osearchexpanded... theAbel'andWirth anO Reagaa_and 7enaty ... -..., , ,, . 4 , first,,Jdetermine public perceptionp 0. studies. Itsptirpose was-threefold:., various kinds of lot news re*krts,cred4bility ratings on 9 , of tonflictingrnews '...N......-., . " i 1 ' -, , . , . ; ( , - "4. * . pther media consumptibnvariables beel news ,(4501itital4 foreign-,.labdt)'and.. 14 . *.; . .. ' / the needs anduses ep1e. htvi f..o cred4,11144rsecond- to.invstigate'r 1 \') a - ' 5 4. P °kW NNte , ,At- tY "roe* , , *5- ". ° , , , newspapers and televisidn,:yith asis 'upon the. criterta'torelec- tion''of market = . each medium; Andthi(1,-. o ,com e, data collected from 'a ones-n, wspaper: T t.gathered from a two-nowapaper market,"using the sameinstrument.The , - stadY.tested the propositIon; he.-.7Abel: And Wi.rth''' anct*.itiapar( ar14 .., . .. - . Zegaty.papers that,' residents et ,the- rand.,-Rapids area .wouldragetelevision ' as>,m6re credible and'having.i.tetW.,4asta4f.;.politica4 futign and labor news; Oyer newspapeps_tfian would Detroit are&re i4ents.They would rate the '11AWspaper loWer than Detroft residents.. N A r, : :METHOD 'telePhéne- interviews Conducted bir ,traifie.4- . ,i,-,.,The. survey:research employed' . , . .. ... ., . lines at a midwestern .university.? stUd tit :interviewers' using, direCt .TELPAC . ,, . , -anterviews were -coucted- simultaneously in Detrt ind Grakui- 4RAds;i ebruary 20-23, 1978, from 6:30 p.m'.