PERCEPTION OF CREDIBILITY OF INTERNET NEWS AMONG STUDENTS IN SELECT UNIVERSITIES IN DELTA STATE, NIGERIA
Abstract
The study examines students’ perception of credibility of Internet news in select universities in Delta State. The Internet has widened the scope of information collection, processing and dissemination. However, its question on credibility remains an ongoing study. The study was anchored on perception theory. Among the objective of the study were; to determine the extent of students’ exposure to internet news, whether students perceive the internet as credible news source relative to traditional news media. It adopted survey design with a population of 1681 of students of Department of Mass Communication of (a) Delta State University, Abraka, (b) Novena University, Ogume and (c) Western Delta University, Oghara. Using Taro Yamane’s formula, a sample of 323 was randomly selected. Major findings of the study revealed significant access to Internet news; however, most users are attracted to Breaking News than other stories. Secondly, it was revealed that the credibility of Internet news is dependent on the news media especially online news versions of mainstream media. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that credibility of news is very important. Writers should ensure that they only publish credible news based on objective news coverage.
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