Online Newspapers Providing Credible Information: A Survey of Indian Online News Readers

Pradeep Tewari 1 *
More Detail
1 The Tribune Publication, India
* Corresponding Author
Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, Volume 6, Issue 4, pp. 132-146. https://doi.org/10.29333/ojcmt/2573
OPEN ACCESS   2051 Views   1023 Downloads   Published online: 26 Oct 2016
Download Full Text (PDF)

ABSTRACT

An online survey was conducted among 3,183 online news readers in India. The aim of the survey was to know the reliable source of information of online readers and their reading habits, gadgets for online news reading, favourite news content, age group and gender. The questionnaire sent through the e-recourses (e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, and blog). Most of the online news consumers 60.3 percent (n=1920) believe that websites of news organisations is the most credible source of information available on the Internet. As many as 97 percent online readers are also using traditional media for the news, 60.3 percent (n=1909) respondents says text is the most favourite content for the news, 33.4 percent (n=1063) like the photo gallery and 35 percent (n=642) people are reading online news many times in a day. Majority of online readers are below the age of 30. 62 percent (n=1941) are using smartphones for the online news.
Keywords: online news consumer, online news, Smartphone, Internet news, online survey

CITATION

Tewari, P. (2016). Online Newspapers Providing Credible Information: A Survey of Indian Online News Readers. Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, 6(4), 132-146. https://doi.org/10.29333/ojcmt/2573

REFERENCES

  • Althaus, S. L., & Tewksbury, D. (2000). Patterns of Internet and traditional news media use in a networked community. Political Communication, 17, 21–45.
  • Andrews, D., Nonnecke, B., & Preece, J. (2003). Electronic Survey Methodology: A Case Study in Reaching Hard-to-Involve Internet Users. International Journal of HumanComputer Interaction, 185-210.
  • Bachmann, D., & Elfrink, J. (1996). Tracking the progress of e-mail versus snail-mail. Marketing Research, 8 (2), 31–35.
  • Barthelemy, S. (2011). The Future of Print Media. Retrieved Jan 4, 2015, from www.sipa.columbia.edu/academics/workshops/documents/WorldNewsmediaInnovati onsStudy-CapstoneWorkshopSpring2011-ABRIDGED.pdf
  • Burgess, S. R., & Jones, K. K. (2010). Reading and media habits of college students varying by sex and remedial status. College Student Journal, 44(2) (Jun2010 Part B), 492-508. Retrieved January, 19, 2015, from http://www.ebscohost.com/academic/academicsearch-premier
  • Domingo, & David, H. (2008). Weblogs and journalism: a typology to explore the blurring boundaries. Nordicom Review, 29 (1): 3-15.
  • Deuze, M. (1999). Journalism And The Web: An Analysis Of Skills And Standards In An Online Environment. International Communication Gazette, 61(5), 373-390.
  • Ferguson, D., & Perse, E. (2000). The World Wide Web as a Functional Alternative to Television. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 155-174.
  • Fox, S., Rainie, L., Larsen, E., Horrigan, J., Lenhart, A., Spooner, T., & Carter, C. (2001). Wired Seniors. The Pew Internet and American Life Project. Retrieved January 6, 2015, from http://www.pewinternet.org/2001/09/09/wired-seniors/
  • Flanagin, A., & Metzger, M. (2000). Perceptions of Internet Information Credibility. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 77(3), 515-540.
  • Flanagin, A., & Metzger, M. (2001). Internet use in the contemporary media environment. Human Communication Research, (27), 153-181.
  • Garrison, B. (1996). Successful strategies for computer-assisted reporting. Mahwah, NJ: L. Erlbaum.
  • Garton, L., Haythornthwaite, C., & Wellman, B. (1999). Studying on-line social networks. In S.Jones (Ed.), Doing Internet Research: Critical Issues and Methods for Examining the Net (pp. 75–105). Thousand Oaks, CA : Sage.
  • India to overtake US in Smartphone by 2016. (2014, December 24). Retrieved April 7, 2015, from http://indiainbusiness.nic.in/newdesign/index.php?param=newsdetail/10367
  • Kaufman, D., Stasson, M., & Hart, J. (1999). Are the tabloids always wrong or is that just what we think? Need for cognition of perceptions of articles in print media. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 29: 1984-1997.
  • Keefe, D. (1990). Persuasion: Theory and research. Newbury Park, Calif.: Sage Publications.
  • Llieva, J., Baron, S., & Healey, N. M. (2002). Online surveys in marketing research: Pros and cons. International Journal of Market Research, 44 (3), 361–367.
  • Mings, Susan M. (1997). Uses and Gratifications of online newspapers: A Preliminary Study. Electronic Journal of Communication, 7.
  • Nie, N. H., & Erbring, L. (2000). Internet and Society: A Preliminary Report. Palo Alto , CA : Stanford Institute for the Quantitative Study of Society Press.
  • Nie, N., Hillygus, S. & Erbring, L. (2002). Internet use, interpersonal relations and sociability: Findings from a detailed time diary study. In B.Wellman (Ed.), The Internet in Everyday Life (pp. 215–243). London : Blackwell Publishers.
  • Purcell, K., Rainie, L., Mitchell, A., Rosenstie, T., & Olmstead, K. (2010, February 28). Understanding the Participatory News Consumer. Retrieved Jan 5, 2015, from http://www.pewinternet.org/2010/03/01/understanding-the-participatory-newsconsumer/
  • Stanton, J. M. (1998). An empirical assessment of data collection using the Internet. Personnel Psychology, 51 (3), 709–725.
  • Stempel, G., Hargrove, T., & Bernt, J. (2000). Relation of Growth of Use of the Internet to Changes in Media Use from 1995 to 1999. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 71-79.
  • Taylor, H. (2000). Does Internet research work? Comparing electronic survey results with telephone survey. International Journal of Market Research, 42 (1), 51–63.
  • The Internet News Audience Goes Ordinary. (1999, January 13). Retrieved November 24, 2014, from http://www.people-press.org/1999/01/14/the-internet-news-audience-goesordinary/
  • Wathen, C., & Burkell, J. (2002). Believe it or not: Factors influencing credibility on the Web. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 53(2), 134-144.
  • Wellman, B. (1997). An electronic group is virtually a social network. In S.Kiesler (Ed.), Culture of the Internet (pp. 179–205). Mahwah , NJ : Lawrence Erlbaum.
  • Witmer, D. F., Colman, R. W., & Katzman, S. L. (1999). From paper-and-pencil to screenand-keyboard: Toward a methodology for survey research on the Internet. In S.Jones (Ed.), Doing Internet Research: Critical Issues and Methods for Examining the Net (pp. 145–161). Thousand Oaks , CA : Sage.
  • Yun, G. W., & Trumbo, C. W. (2000). Comparative response to a survey executed by post, email, and web form. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 6 (1).