Digital News Gaining Public Acceptance as Credible News Source.

The public has largely accepted digital news as an important source of credible news, according to a study by the Online News Association (ONA).

Internet users say online news is about as credible as news they obtain from other, more traditional sources. In fact, 13 percent of online readers say the Internet is their most trusted source for news.

But journalists surveyed weren’t so positive. Many of them say they’re concerned that online media have departed from traditional journalistic ethics – and that departure has had an effect on the credibility of online news.

These are key findings of a year-long study of digital journalism credibility directed by the Online News Association and funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The study, released at an ONA event tonight at the National Press Club in Washington, included a national survey of 1,000 online consumers and 1,500 journalists conducted by NFO World Group, more than 100 interviews with online journalists, and a series of roundtable discussions at major online publishing events.

In particular, the study found:

The biggest challenge may be convincing traditional media that online news is credible news. The online public generally shows more confidence in news sources than did the members of media organizations who participated in the study. Media workers did not rate online sources as highly, in terms of credibility, as they rated traditional sources. More often than not, the main issues surrounding news credibility were of concern to media respondents and not to the public.
Many readers don’t identify the credibility of digital news as an issue. Many in the public remain neutral on the issues surrounding online news – they neither agree nor disagree – let alone feel strongly about the online news media and credibility.

Age matters. Younger people – whether readers or working journalists — are more likely to say online news is credible.
Web sites serve as complementary sources of news for the public. Americans are using online news in addition to traditional mediums rather than using online news instead of traditional sources.

“While it is gratifying that the public is accepting online news as a key source of their daily information dose, it is obvious that we have a lot of work to do in our own newsrooms,” said Online News Association President and Knight-Ridder Digital Executive News Editor Bruce Koon. “While the online audience grows each day, workers inside of media companies remain skeptical about the news being published online. It is up to us to help educate our industry.”

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