The credibility of the news on social networking sites among Jordanian journalists

Social Networking Site (SNS) has become an important source of news for journalists in the process of obtaining information and publishing news and articles. Hence, the credibility of the news published on SNS is an important subject for study because journalists are competing with citizens in the dissemination of news. The validity of information on SNS is questionable. The focus of this research is identifying the concept of credibility and the prominent credibility standards that must apply in publishing of news. This study examined the relationship between traditional factors in media, acceptance to use of technology, interactive media, quality of news source, exposure to SNS, and scoop with the credibility of news. The questionnaire was distributed to 375 respondents from 1042 registered journalists in the Jordan Press Association (JPA) using simple random sampling. The data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to verify the relationships between the variables. The findings of the study largely support the hypothesized relationships proposed in the study model. The factors used in traditional media, such as journalism ethics, editorial policy rules and laws, demonstrates a positive association with the credibility of news published on SNS to maintain its standards. Reliance on media technology adversely affect the credibility of news. Interactive media and quality of source were found to have a positive relationship with the credibility of news, thus increasing the level of credibility when journalists use SNS as a source of news. The findings have implications for knowledge of theories in understanding the relationship between using SNS as a news source and its credibility. The practical contribution of this study will assist journalists in dealing with news on SNS, in order to develop the best journalism practices, and makes recommendation for future research directions.