Evolving News Consumption: Embracing Credible Sources in the Age of Online News

In recent years, the shift from traditional news media to the realm of social media has brought about significant transformations in the way we gather political information (Shehata 2021). This transition to digital platforms has not only challenged conventional news definitions but also provided opportunities for non-journalists to reach wider audiences (Tandoc et al. 2018). However, amid this evolution, a concerning trend has emerged: trust in online news lags in that behind that of other forms of media (Flew et al. 2020). This disparity profoundly impacted my news consumption during the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

The 2016 U.S. election marked a pivotal moment in communications as the public was exposed to a constant stream of news coverage, much of which revolved around false or seemingly false information and misinformation – essentially, news about false news (Koc-Michelksa, et al. 2020). Moreover, news subsystems aligned with specific political agendas began offering contradicting narratives, diverging from the broader media landscape. Investigation report on ‘Trust and Mistrust in News Media’ highlighted critiques of Australian news sources for sensationalism, blurring fact with opinion, historical inaccuracies and a lack of transparent reporting (Flew et al. 2020).

In the midst of these concerns, I held an expectation that news providers would remain faithful to the truth and avoid fabrication. However, mounting issues like concentrated ownership and the perception of journalists as political ‘insiders’ contributed to a deepening scepticism toward online news media. This scepticism was capitalised upon by populist figures like Donald Trump, who coined the term ‘fake news’ to discredit journalists and media outlets (Abright 2016). Fueled by this apprehension, I recognised the need to transition to more reliable news platforms.

The Conversation.com stood out to me as an independent, not-for-profit media entity. It is governed by The Conversation Trust, a non-profit educational charity, supported by academia, government and businesses. The Conversation offers a unique platform where researchers affiliated with institutions can share their expertise with a broader online audience (Rodrigo 2022). If accepted, these researchers collaboratively reshape their research to cater to non-specialist readers, with guidance from editors. This innovative approach bridges the knowledge gap, making political news accessible to a wider spectrum of people (Shehata et al. 2021).

My trust in The Conversation.com is rooted in its adherence to the editorial independence charter. Authorised exclusively by academics and researchers, the articles undergo final approval from the creators and include statements disclosing any potential conflicts of interest. The platform’s credibility is derived from professionals sharing insights through a platform, diverging from the popularity or click-driven dissemination of information commonly observed on social media – particularly in regard to political pieces.

As we navigate the evolving landscape of news consumption, it is imperative that we critically evaluate our information sources. The transition to reliable platforms like TheConversation.com not only ensures access to credible political news but also fosters a more informed and engaged citizenry.

Albright, J 2016, ‘The #Election 2016 Micro-Propaganda Machine’ Medium, Blog, Viewed 16 August 2023, <https://d1gi.medium.com/the-election2016-micro-propaganda-machine-383449cc1fba>.

Flew, T, Dulleck, U, Park, S, Fisher, C & Isler, O 2020, Trust and Mistrust in Australian News Media, BEST Centre, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia, viewed on 16 August 2023, <https://research.qut.edu.au/best/wp-content/uploads/sites/244/2020/03/Trust-and-Mistrust-in-News-Media.pdf>.

Koc-Michalska, K, Bimber, B, Gomez, D, Jenkins, M, & Boulianne, S 2020, ‘Public Beliefs about Falsehoods in News.’ The International Journal of Press/Politics, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 447-468.

Rodrigo, I 2022, ‘Credibility building in The Conversation.com’, 9th Conference on Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) and Social Media Corpora, Santiago de Compostela, September 2022.

Shehata, A & Stromback, J 2021, ‘Learning Political News From Social Media: Network Media Logic and Current Affairs News Learning in a HighChoice Media Environment’, Communication Research, vol. 48, no. 1, pp. 125-147.

Tandoc, E, Lim, Z, & Ling, R 2018, ‘Defining ‘Fake News’: A Typology of Scholarly Definitions. Digital Journalism, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 137-153.