Accept No Substitutes!...Well, Maybe
Some: Online Political Information
Credibility and Media Substitution
Thomas J. Johnson, Ph.D.
Amon G. Carter, Jr. Centennial Professor
University of Texas at Austin
Barbara K. Kaye, Ph.D.
University of Tennessee at Knoxville
Aimee Meader
University of Texas at Austin
Media Substitution Theory
If two media are functionally
equivalent and serve the same
purpose consumers will select the
one that best meets their needs
(substitution)
Media Supplementation Theory
If individuals see different media as
serving different functions they will use
both media to gratify their different
needs (supplementation)
Problem Statement
This study investigates whether perceptions of
credibility of alternative sources affect
judgments of credibility and the amount of
time spent on traditionally delivered sources
(broadcast television news and newspapers)
after controlling for demographic and political
variables.
Alternative Sources of
News
*Political Sites
*Political Blogs
*Parody News Shows
* Talk Radio
Characteristics of Alternative Media
*Powered by ordinary citizens rather than by
professionals
*Challenge existing power structures
*Provide a platform for the views of citizen
groups
*Solicit feedback through open forums
*Attempt to mobilize citizens through in-depth
politicized social commentary
Alternative Media
*Appeals to niche audience
*Attracts like-minded followers
Messages judged of higher quality
Messages judged more credible
*Credibility could increase with more exposure
Reliance linked with perceived
trustworthiness
Research Questions
RQ1: To what degree does credibility of alternative
sources (political websites, political blogs, parody news
programs and talk radio) influence credibility of
traditionally delivered newspapers and broadcast
television news after controlling for political and
demographic variables?
RQ2: To what degree does credibility of alternative
sources (political websites, political blogs, parody news
programs and talk radio) influence the amount of the
time spent with traditionally delivered newspapers and
broadcast television news after controlling for political
and demographic variables?
Study Variables
Media Credibility: Believability, fairness, accuracy, and
depth of information.
Time Spent with Traditional Media
Political Attributes
Knowledge about and interest in politics
Knowledge about and interest in the 2008
presidential campaign
Demographics
Age
Income
Education
Gender
Regressions
The dependent variables were
credibility and reliance on traditional
media
For Both Regressions…
Block One: Gender, age, education,
income
Block Two: Political interest, political
knowledge, election interest, election
knowledge, trust, self-efficacy, political
ideology, strength of party ties
Block Three: Credibility of alternative
sources (political sites, political blogs,
parody news programs, talk radio)
Credibility of Traditional &
Alternative Media
*Political blogs are ranked the most credible source for
political news (m=12.3 credibility index, range 4-20)
*Political websites as the next highest in credibility
(m=11.7).
*Traditionally delivered newspapers (m=10.7)
*Talk radio (m=9.9)
*Parody news programs (m=8.9)
*Broadcast television news (m=8.9)
Do perceptions of credibility of
alternative sources of political news
predict credibility of traditional
sources of news?
Broadcast Television News
Credibility is positively influenced by credibility
of parody news programs (=.37, p<.001) and
talk radio (=.07, p<.001)
Credibility is negatively predicted by the
credibility of political blogs (=-.13, p<.001
Do perceptions of credibility of
alternative sources of political news
predict credibility of traditional
sources of news?
Newspapers
Judgments of high credibility of printed
newspapers is predicted by high credibility of
parody news programs (=.39, p<.00)
Higher judgments of credibility of political
sites (=-.07, p<.001) and political blogs (=.04, p<.05) lead to lower assessments of
newspaper credibility.
Time Spent with Traditional Media
Broadcast TV News
Higher levels of credibility of parody news
shows (=.16, p<.001) and talk radio (=.05,
p<.01), but lower credibility of political blogs
(=-.20 p<.001), lead to more time spent
watching broadcast television news.
Newspapers
The amount of time spent with newspapers is
predicted by high credibility of parody news
sites (=.21, p<.001), but low credibility of
political blogs (=-.13, p<.001).
Political Websites
Credibility of political websites had no influence on time
spent with traditional media
Parody News
Respondents who deem parody news programs as
highly credible have increased the amount of time they
spend watching broadcast television news and reading
printed newspapers
Talk Radio
Talk radio has no effect on time spent with
newspapers.
Talk radio is not at substitute for newspapers
Talk radio credibility increases time spent with
broadcast news
Regressions
Do perceptions of credibility of
alternative sources of political
information predict credibility of
traditional media?
YES
Do credibility assessments of
alternative sources of political
information influence time spent with
traditional media?
YES: Parody News
NO: Talk Radio & Political Websites
Traditional Sources of
News
People have reduced the
amount of time they spend
watching television news
and reading printed
newspapers since they
began using the Internet.
Future Studies & Limitations
Reverse Order? Drops in credibility and time spent with traditional
media might boost credibility of alternative news sources
Brand vs. Genre: It is unclear, whether respondents were judging the
credibility of brand sources, such as Huffington Post or New York
Times, rather than the genre.
Future Studies: Researchers should include additional sources of
political information, such as social network sites and news
aggregators