Online News Widely Accepted as Credible

By Howard I. Finberg

Credibility. It is hard to define, hard to earn, and even harder to regain once it is lost.For decades, news organizations -- especially newspapers -- have struggled to understand why readers find the media less and less credible.

Or why some news organizations, such as cable news networks, have a higher credibility rating than older and more established (and local) news outlets. It is a vexing problem.


The task grew even more complicated eight years ago when the Internet offered the public a whole new, interactive way to obtain news and information. A question that may plague us for the next several decades is, "How do the issues of credibility and reliability play out in the online news environment?"


Media consultant Martha Stone and I have been studying digital journalism credibility for the past year on behalf of the Online News Association. Our report, which was released Jan. 31, is based on more than 50 interviews with industry executives, dozens of case studies, several industry roundtables, and two research surveys.

The ONA study, which was funded by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, also outlines strategies that several sites have undertaken to be more open and more transparent with their readership.


We found that the public has largely accepted digital news as an important source of credible news. Thirteen percent of the online public saying that Internet news is their most trusted source of news.


However, the ONA survey also shows that most of the online public surveyed remains neutral on credibility issues surrounding online news.



This lack of strong opinion is where the online news media may have its greatest opportunity. It is a chance to move those neutral views to positive ground. Or, conversely, there is the real danger that the public will be come critical of some practices and become as critical of online news as it is of newspapers.


The acceptance of online news is good news for digital journalists. Although the older, traditional media has been losing the public's trust, online news seems to be enjoying a credibility honeymoon, according to a national survey of 1,000 online consumers and 1,500 media workers conducted for ONA.


Rather than vilifying digital news, the online public has largely accepted it as an important source of credible news. Journalists surveyed expected the public to be much more negative about the credibility of digital news. They also expressed more concerns about professional quality than the online public.


The survey also indicates there appears to be a division of opinion about the credibility of digital news between those who work for traditional media organizations -- newspapers, broadcasting -- and those who work for Web sites. And there is a difference of opinion about credibility between the media workers who took the survey and the online public. Some examples from the report:


* Media workers were more likely to have made up their minds about credibility and were more likely to be critical than the online public was. Among the rankings produced by the survey's media respondents, there were five sources (local TV news, local radio stations, other news Web sites, local TV Web sites and local radio Web sites) about which more than 25 percent - and as many as 40 percent - say the source is not credible. By comparison, no more than 12 percent of the public says any particular news source is not credible.

* When asked to agree or disagree with the statement: "Online news sites are my/consumers' most trusted sources for news," 13 percent of the online public agreed, 44 percent had no opinion, and 43 percent disagreed. Media respondents predicted that 79 percent of online readers would disagree with the statement.


The report's executive summary puts the gap in perception between media and public this way: ". (the) survey's findings should prompt journalists and the public alike to confront a critical issue: Is there something the media perceives or knows about the ethics and practices of online news organizations or operations that the public does not know? Or are traditional media just being resistant to online news?"


The report also examined the reasons consumers use news Web sites and the most important factors affecting story credibility. Some highlights include:


* 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.


* Asked directly if the separation between advertising and editorial content matters to a news source's credibility, the public overwhelmingly (95.9 percent) says "Yes, it matters." But when ONA asked online readers to rank 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).


* About 40 percent of the online public are confident they can discriminate between advertising and editorial content, with another 30 percent expressing neutrality or a lack of opinion on the issue. That confidence is positively correlated with a reader's general trust of online news, which increases in time spent online and with the number of times a reader has visited a particular online news site. Familiarity breeds confidence.



The issue of advertising and editorial separation has been a hot discussion topic among online and traditional journalists. The findings about the separation of advertising and editorial content should be reassuring to those site managers who are trying to find new ways of attracting revenue. However, it might be too early to relax about this finding, as poorly labeled content could have a negative affect in the long run.


In addition to the results of its two surveys, the ONA's Digital Journalism Credibility Study presents a broader discussion of the professional experiences and insights. Among the topics covered are:


* Who is a journalist? This includes a discussion on journalistic training and experience.
* What kinds of challenges to credibility have downsizing, reorganization and retrenchment posed?
* What kinds of training or professional perspectives should media workers in online newsrooms be expected to have - practically and ideally? Technical issues have typically taken precedence over ethical concerns when it comes to newsroom training, but that may be changing in online newsrooms.


* How are online newsrooms working through the challenges presented by the pressures to produce revenue? The report sites specific ways in which various news organizations are dealing with sponsored content and presents an in-depth discussion of advertising policies and processes.


* How are online newsrooms handling the Web's two hallmark characteristics: immediacy and interactivity? While the push to get the story first remains very much a part of the online news industry culture, there's a clear recognition that getting it first is not as important as getting it right. Brand credibility is at stake.



The issue of digital journalism credibility is broad and deep. The ONA study is a first look at many of the issues journalists -- print, broadcast, online -- will need to address if we are to take advantage of this new medium that allows almost instant publishing, unparalleled depth of content, and unique interactivity with readers.


Just as developing online news medium continues to be an exciting challenge, so should the opportunity to secure and increase the medium's credibility with its readers.

President Kufuor arrives in Beijing for China-Africa Summit

President John Agyekum Kufuor on Thursday arrived in the Chinese capital Beijing, to attend the China-Africa Heads ofState Summit, to define the investment and trade relations between Africa and China, an emerging global economic giant, in the coming years.

About 48 African Heads of State and Governments are expected to take part in the meeting, said to be the largest ever to be held in that country and which, gets underway from Friday, November 3-5.

Trade between China and Africa stood at 50 billion dollars last year.
The meeting would take a critical look back at the friendship between the continent and China and devise a blueprint for future partnerships, to bring about broader prospects of development.

President Kufuor, accompanied by Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo, the Foreign Minister, Mr Joseph Adda, Minister of Energy, and other senior Government Officials were met on arrival at the Beijing International Airport, by high ranking Chinese Officials.

The President would seek, during the meeting to convince China for a development support of 1.2 billion dollars to fund the Bui Dam project, rural electrification and the improvement of Ghana’s telecommunication system.

He is scheduled to hold separate bilateral talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao, and Premier Wen Jiabao, as well as meet with Sino Hydro Corporation on the Bui Dam Project.
His other engagements would include meetings with Huawei Technologies Company Limited over Ghana’s Internet backbone and E-Government Project and the ZTE Corporation on the GOTA Security System Project.

Relations between China and Ghana, which dates back to 1960 has always been good but was taken to a new level following a state visit to that country by President Kufuor in 2002.

During that visit, China agreed to a 30 million dollar interest free loan for the construction of the 17.4 kilometre dual carriageway of the Ofankor-Nsawam section of the Accra-Kumasi Highway.

Additionally, it wrote off 83 million dollars of debt owed her by Ghana, while ACATEL Shanghai of China put in an investment of 150 million dollars in the Ghana Telecom.

Besides, China has also been supporting the construction of military and police barracks in Ghana, with trade between the two countries hitting an all time record of 769 million dollars last year.
GNA

Tribunal remands three in connection with missing cocaine

An Accra Regional Tribunal chaired by Mr Justice Frank Manu on Thursday remanded into prison custody three suspects in connection with the 76 missing parcels of cocaine from MV Benjamin.

The tribunal refused to take the pleas of Joseph Kojo Dawson, a businessman, Freeman Sosi, a fisherman and canoe owner and Evans Charwetey Tsekobi, an auto mechanic.

They were charged with various counts of conspiracy to commit crime and abetment of crime contrary to Sections 556 and 10 of the Narcotic Drugs (Control, Enforcement and Sanctions) Law 1990, PNDC L236.

The facts of the case were not read. They will reappear on November 17.
Two other accomplices, Sheriff Asem Darkei, alias The Limping man, now at large and Alhaji Moro Mohammed, a businessman, who has been admitted to the Police Hospital under guard, were not in court.

Mrs Gertrude Aikins, Chief State Attorney, prayed the tribunal to remand the accused persons in custody because investigations were not completed.
She stated: "This morning I changed the charge sheet, because other developments came up.”

Mrs. Aikins contended that the prosecution had done a good job so far, saying: "Our country is in danger and we all have to contribute our quota to save the situation.”

Attorneys for Dawson, Sosi and Tsekobi asked the tribunal to set specific orders to determine when the facts of the case should be read. They said if the judge was gracious enough to look at the facts of the case, it would realise that the re-arraignment before the tribunal was completely bogus.


They explained that, in one breath the State proposed to charge the
accused persons with dealing in narcotic drugs, but this was cancelled and replaced with conspiracy to commit crime.


They averred that their defence in the case was being thwarted by the prosecution and pleaded with the court to give their clients bail even it
would be with stiff conditions.


The Attorneys argued that the third accused person, Sosi, was an illiterate fisherman who had three canoes called Milo - 1, 2 and 3.
In the course of his work, he was hired to transport goods for someone he would not be in a position to know, likewise the content of the goods.


They argued further that it was such an innocent person who had been charged with conspiracy and dealing in narcotic drugs, which could not be proved before the Tribunal.

The lawyers said the arrest of Tsekobi, a brother of Darkei, who is at large, was just a cover up and inefficiency of the Police. They added Tsekobi was a mechanic who returned from Togo to find that his room had been ransacked.

He went to the Police to make a report that thieves had broken into his room, only to be arrested.
GNA

GT to switch to use of solar energy –Deputy CEO

In the face of current energy challenges, Ghana Telecom (GT) plans to use solar as the main source of power to drive the over 300 cell sites it operates in the country.
Currently, most of the sites are powered either by onventional power, batteries or commercial generators.

At a press briefing on alternative energy, Mr Dickson Oduro-Nyaning, GT's Deputy Chief Executive Officer, said the conversion process would save the company millions of dollars that it spent on fuel and equipment.

The forum was also used to draw public attention to an Inter-Faith Based ICT International conference scheduled for Accra between November 7 and 9 this year.
Mr. Oduro-Nyaning said already GT was using solar energy as the main source of power on the company's northern transmission repeater stations and cellular payphones.

Other areas where solar is used are the e-care centre, a collaboration between UN Foundation (UNF), UN Environmental Project (UNED), Telenor Management Partners, Kumasi Institute of Technology and Environment and GT to provide information technology to people in the rural areas.

It is in this direction that GT welcomes the establishment of Ghana Telecom University College Centre for the Study of Alternative Energy (CSAE) to offer both certificate and degree programmes in Alternative Energy.

The primary goal of the CSAE being done in collaboration with the University of California, Santa Barbara, is to educate and prepare the technical and scientific workforces for the emerging alternative energy technology.

"Considering the current energy challenges in Ghana, it becomes natural and vital that alternative energy sources be developed and utilised, especially in areas where there is no national grid," Mr Oduro-Nyaning said.

He said the proposed programme would contribute to the development of much needed human resource for the country's alternative energy training.
Professor Walter Kohn, Winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, would help set up the centre.

Dr Osei Darkwa, Principal of GTUC, said the Inter-Faith Based ICT Conference is to provide the opportunity to religious organisations to act as catalysts in bridging the digital divide.

"Using the new information technologies they can connect their congregants and communities to the information they need for health and learning…. The religious institution can become a community telecentre, a node in a worldwide network of knowledge and information," he said.
GNA