• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, February 19, 2002

The Online News Association’s recent release of the Digital Journalism Credibility Survey shows that media workers across all media types are concerned about the standards, practices and credibility of digital news, but the online public is not! It appears, according to the study, that the public accepts online news as a choice on its menu of news sources.

- Readers said online news is about as credible as news they obtain from other, more traditional news sources.

- Cable television Web sites ranked as the third most credible news source out of 16 possible choices, ahead of national network news, national radio broadcasts, local television news and their local newspapers.

- Local radio Web sites, which were ranked last of the 16 news sources, are considered credible by 41 percent of the public.

- Thirteen percent of online readers say the Internet is their most trusted source for news. No more than 12 percent say any news source is not credible.

- Most online news sources fail to attract unique traffic; rather, a large portion of the online audience comes from people who use traditional sources as well.

- Almost 78 percent of readers and 75 percent of journalists who participated in the survey say cable television Web sites are credible or extremely credible, and 68 percent of readers and 65 percent of media respondents say national broadcast television Web sites are credible or extremely credible.

- When it comes to credibility, online readers are more concerned about accuracy than timeliness. In a list of 11 story characteristics affecting credibility, online readers rank "story is up to date" fifth, after accuracy, completeness, fairness and trusted source However, timeliness ranks first when online readers are asked why they prefer the news sites they visit most often.

- About 40 percent of the online public is confident it can discriminate between advertising and editorial content, with another 30 percent expressing neutrality or a lack of opinion on the issue. That means that more than two-thirds of readers say they aren't all that worried about being duped by an advertising message disguised as a news story.

- Asked directly if matters to a news source's credibility, 95.9 percent say the separation between advertising and editorial content matters. But when ranking advertising-editorial independence as a variable affecting news credibility, it barely made the list (ninth of 11 attributes, ahead of audio/visual quality and entertainment value).

- 65.6 percent of the online public said advertisers and business interests influence how news is reported. Of those, 75.5 percent said it is important or extremely important that a clear separation between advertising and editorial be maintained.

Find out more here.