Reaching Out: Newspaper Credibility Among Young Adult Readers

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Abstract

The researchers examined student perceptions of campus and community newspaper credibility at the University of Florida using a Web survey (n=1,906) of those enrolled in a general education class. A moderate correlation (r=.28) existed between college newspaper credibility and community newspaper credibility. Using hierarchical linear regression, the researchers found interest in news content to be a statistically significant predictor of credibility for both local newspapers and college newspapers. In addition, students whose parents encouraged them to read a newspaper found both newspapers more credible than did their peers, and exposure to a newspaper was found to be a strong predictor of credibility for that newspaper. Finally, the results of this case study also suggest White respondents find local newspapers more credible than other races. Implications for researchers and practitioners were discussed.