If Only They Knew

Audience Expectations and Actual Sourcing Practices in Online Journalism

Bibliographic Data

ID12908809
AuthorsVille Manninen (0000-0001-5362-582X, University of Jyväskylä, corresponding author)
Year2019
Volume14
Issue4
Pages412-428
Publication date2019-06-06
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournalism Practice (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1751-2786 • E-ISSN: 1751-2794
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/17512786.2019.1625719
OpenAlexW2948173580
LanguageEN
Citations received10
References cited41

This article answers the question “Are the sourcing practices in Finnish online journalism trustworthy?” Here, trustworthiness is operationalized as the fulfillment of audience expectations towards sourcing practices. To this end, expectations of young Finnish adults (aged 18–28) were compared to the observed practices of Finnish online journalists. A total of 36 news items (from 12 journalists working in three newsrooms, published in 2013 and 2017) were analyzed. The analysis indicates that online journalists’ sourcing practices largely do not conform to this audience segment's expectations. Namely, the audience expects more comprehensive investigation and thorough verification than what is common practice in online journalism. The use of high-credibility sources is both expected and commonplace. The results imply that transparency may be harmful rather than beneficial to journalism's credibility, as the unveiled practices do not always meet audience expectations

Advertising · Business · Citizen journalism · Credibility · Journalism · Operationalization · Political science · Public relations · Sociology · Transparency (behavior · Trustworthiness · Law · Media Studies and Communication · Psychology · Public Relations and Crisis Communication · Social Media and Politics · Social Psychology

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