This study investigates a range of traditional and technological factors that contribute to credibility perceptions for three categories of online news sources. These sources include mainstream (usatoday.com, nytimes.com), independent (thedrudgereport.com, axisoflogic.com), and index-type (news.google.com, yahoo.news.com) websites. While traditional dimensions of credibility remain influential, results suggest that the hypertextuality of index-type online news sources is of particular importance. Multimediality and interactivity did not influence credibility perceptions. These results support the perspective that online media differ based on credibility and users' perceptions are in part based on the technological affordances of media. A major contribution of this research lies in the empirical demonstration of the relationships between technological characteristics of various online news sources and subsequent credibility assessments.
In this study, we examined the structure of the international hyperlink network as a global communication system at two different points in time (2003 and 2009). Research was carried out on the web‐based network linking country code top‐level domains (ccTLDs) that represent countries, using hyperlink connectivity by the means of network analysis. The results indicate that the 2009 international hyperlink network was completely interconnected. G7 countries and Spain were at the centre of the network. At the periphery were poorer countries from Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In addition, several regional clusters based on geography, language and culture emerged. A comparison of the 2003 and 2009 results showed that the level of centralization and diversification among semi‐peripheral countries increased. We discuss the results from the perspective of world‐systems theory. We propose methodological procedures to overcome potential bias in international hyperlink data.
One unresolved issue in international telecommunications research is the examination of the international hyperlink network that includes the ubiquitous .com domain. Based on the assumption that decomposing or ''cracking'' .com leads to a more accurate description of the international hyperlink network, this research proposes a method for decomposing .com, applies the proposed procedure, and investigates the differences between two international hyperlink networks-one including .com data and the other excluding .com. The adjusted international hyperlink network showed substantial differences in the centrality of several countries that make extensive use of .com. For example, in contrast to the hyperlink network excluding .com, the network including .com showed a thirtyfold increase in the out-degree centrality of the U.S. and a change in the country's eigenvector centrality that was greater than that of any other country. In addition, the centrality of China, Japan, and India increased. By contrast, the centrality of countries that do not rely heavily on .com, mainly E.U. members, decreased. The results obtained with the cracked .com data have several implications that are consistent with world-systems theory for the study of international telecommunications and globalization.
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discover the primary components of credibility of three types of online newspapers and how the credibility of news differs by type.Design/methodology/approachThe paper participants were recruited at a large north‐eastern US university. All items of credibility scales were measured using seven‐point Likert‐type scales. For each of the three credibility scales, the mean was computed and the scales were analysed for similarities and differences. The scales were factor analysed to determine their underlying dimensions.FindingsThree factors (expertise, trustworthiness, and attractiveness) were common to the three types, but the different factor structure of each type was identified. The result of multiple comparisons shows that the differences between all three types of online newspapers were significant. Also the summated scores of the mainstream type were the highest on most items. However, the summated score of the index type of online newspaper was the highest on attractiveness. Overall participants rated the independent type of online newspapers lowest in credibility.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations and implications of findings are examined in three dimensions: theoretical implications, implications for the online newspaper industry, and implications for strategic media use.Originality/valueThe paper divides online newspapers into three categories according to their characteristics: mainstream, independent, and index type. These three types of online newspapers were evaluated in terms of credibility structure, which made this study useful and unique.
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