JOURNALISTS IN PUNCH NEWSPAPER PERCEPTION OF THE CREDIBILITY OF SOCIAL MEDIA AS AN ALTERNATIVE NEWS SOURCE IN EDO STATE, NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

With the rapid proliferation of social media platforms, the landscape of news consumption and dissemination has experienced a significant transformation. Journalists as key gatekeepers of information, play a crucial role in evaluating and verifying the credibility of news sources. It is in the light of this that this study examines journalists’ perception of social media as a credible source of news. The researcher embarked on this study with the intention of achieving four objectives and based on the objectives of the study, four research questions were formulated to serve as a guide for this study. This study is anchored on the source credibility theory and the alternative media theory. The researcher adopted the interview method for this study and a total of 15 journalists drawn from Punch newspaper were interviewed. Findings from this study revealed that a significant proportion of Punch newspaper journalists have a skeptical perception of social media as a news source, expressed concerns about the lack of editorial oversight, misinformation, and the rapid spread of fake news on social media platforms. The study also reveal that some journalists acknowledged the potential for social media to provide real-time updates and diverse perspectives. Based on the findings of this study, the study recommends that News organizations, including Punch newspaper, should establish collaborations and partnerships with social media platforms to promote accurate and reliable news content.