https://callisto.newgen.co/intellect/index.php/AJMS/issue/feed 2024-10-31T14:57:10+00:00 Leon Barkho leon.barkho@ju.se Open Journal Systems <p>The&nbsp;<em>Journal of Applied Journalism &amp; Media Studies</em>&nbsp;aims to bridge the gap between media and communication research and actors with a say in media production, i.e. broadcasters, newspapers, radio, Internet-based media outlets, etc. It is devoted to research with an applied angle in which a clear link is made between the prevalent theories and paradigms media and communication scholars work with, and the real world where media and communication activities take place. It tackles issues and practices related to the output and organization of media outlets in our digitized age.</p> https://callisto.newgen.co/intellect/index.php/AJMS/article/view/8102 2024-02-29T13:27:23+00:00 Stephanie D'haeseleer stephanie.dhaeseleer@ugent.be Kristin Van Damme kristin.vandamme@ugent.be Hayley Pearce hayley.pearce@ugent.be Tom Evens tom.evens@ugent.be

<p>In the current disinformation era, where both people and generative AI systems can easily create content, concerns about the credibility of online content have come to the fore in public and policy debates. Audiences are faced with the challenge of determining which news messages are credible and which are not. It remains however unclear how audiences evaluate the credibility of social media posts. This study evaluates three key ingredients of the credibility cocktail on Instagram: the source, the presence of a verification label, and the use of images. Using two between-subject designs (N= 963), participants were exposed to an Instagram message regarding climate change. The findings demonstrate that audiences primarily assess the credibility of messages based on the source, i.e. the person or organization sharing the information. Messages sent by a news outlet and non-governmental organization are both considered to be more credible than messages shared by dubious sources. Remarkably, a verification label next to this source has no impact. Hence, audiences do not trust so-called ‘blue check accounts’ more than accounts without a verification label. Moreover, AI generated images are perceived as more credible than photoshopped ones.</p>

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