1. Trust & Authority
online
Lujia Han, Mingxiao Li, Delphine Vuagnoux

2. Traditional or Online media or
mainstream media citizen journalism
newspapers, Blogs, forums
magazines, core and common values social networks
broadcast ,news
stations and the like
Authenticity
Accountability
Autonomy
credibility
What’s a credible journalist in a digital age?

3. Authenticity
Authenticity- moral responsibility
• Yesterday media: depends on the authenticity of the news
organization
Mainstream media : decline in public assessment of their credibility
• Digital media : the authenticity of the journalist’s own
responsibility
New alternative news outlets: Individual journalists , social media --
criticized by mainstream news organization but trusted by citizens.
credibility from that of their employer

4. Authenticity
Authenticity of individual journalists :
confirmed by other journalists/sources and
readers’ comments
example: Salam Pax (blog)
Challenges of Authenticity:
Government pressure
Citizen’s comments
example :The New York Times
Authenticity is an individual Ethics : a matter of free choice

5. Accountability
Mainstream
«Trust us»
media
personal disclosure: who you are,
what your background is, ...
Digital media
evidentiary supports : links, where
your sources come from, ...
Example
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-500486_162-3635237-500486.html

6. Accountability
Rathergate
Dan Rather: journalist on CBS, in his ’60
minutes’ (2004), presented sever al
documents critical of President George W.
Bush’s service in the Air National Guard.
animation wikipedia
One of blogger s, Char les
Jonhson, proved it by an
animation.
CBS, Rather and his team finally
admit their error.
Team producer and Rather
resigned shortly after.

7. Autonomy
• in traditional media • in digital media
journalists choose what everyone can act as a
story is newsworthy publisher
Gatekeeper role Watchdog of watchdog
Journalists’ autonomy is challenged not only by
government but also by citizens
And economically and ethically as well

8. 5 major newspapers
+
http://wikileaks.org/
if time: mastercard
Provide huge amount of data,
a b o u t U S A ’s w a r i n I r a k ,
Afghanistan, diplomacy, etc. Decipher into scoops
Benefits Benefits
accreditation and attention accreditation and attention
New collaboration for more effectiveness and transparency
and more useful
New model of the 4th State ?

9. Questions
1. Do you think that other values besides autonomy,
accountability and authenticity can be used to determine
credibility in the digital age?
2. Do you consider Wikileaks as a new form of journalism
in the digital age? Who can determine the ethical line to
decide which information should be published?
3. What are your 3 favorite online news sources and why?