This document discusses the credibility of mainstream media versus citizen journalism in reporting news on social media. It analyzes reporting from government-run and private social media accounts on the 2012 Yunnan earthquake in China. It finds that citizen journalism allows for more reader participation but may lack the accuracy of traditional media. Overall, credibility depends on reporting perspective and readers' judgments. Participatory journalism is popular but accuracy is important for credibility.

1. Trust and Authority
Analysis on the Credibility between
Mainstream Media and Citizen
Journalism in Blogosphere
Chao CHEN
3400075

2. Outline
• Introduction—brief summary
• Key concepts—three credibility-related values:
authenticity, accountability and autonomy
• Main example—reporting on Yunnan earthquake
in Weibo
• Comparison and analysis—traditional
mainstream media VS citizen journalism in
blogosphere
• Discussion question

3. Introduction
• Article: ‘Shifting roles, enduring values: The
credible journalist in a digital age’
• Authors: Hayes, Singer & Ceppos 2007
• Brief summary: This article considers
contemporary challenges to institutional roles
in a digital media environment and discusses
three broad journalistic normative values,
authenticity, accountability, and autonomy,
which affect the credibility of journalists and
the content they provide.

4. Key Concepts
• Authenticity
“Institutional authenticity as a basis for credibility
works a lot better in yesterday’s media environment
than it does than today’s.”-- Hayes, Singer & Ceppos
2007
• In traditional media environment, journalists wrote
news in accordance with the voice of organization
they work for rather than readers.
• CNN(US), BBC(UK), ABC(AU)— “brand”
• In digital age, the credibility of news organizations
declined owing to their reporting objectivity.

5. Key concepts
• Accountability
• Online environment—unbounded and
interconnected—build credibility—information
transparency.
• Bloggers—linking create credibility, personal
disclosure.
• “The medium provides the capability; it’s up to
humans to provide the credibility. And then it’s up
to the community to say it’s so.”-- Hayes, Singer &
Ceppos 2007

6. Key concepts
• Autonomy
• “Oversight of professional behavior has become a
team sport, and journalist no longer control who gets
to play.”-- Hayes, Singer & Ceppos 2007
• Independence--free and self-governing information
without bias from organization.
• Large number of participants simultaneously serve as
sources, audiences, and information providers.
• Journalists’ right does not challenged by government,
but the responsibility and loyalty for citizens.

7. Main example
• Yunnan earthquake, 7th, September, 2012
• News reporting in Sina Weibo (Chinese Twitter)
• Traditional mainstream media:
@新华视点Xinhua Perspective & @人民日报 People’s
Daily --government -run
• Citizen- contributed news website:
@杂谈微吧 Mini Topics& @头条新闻 Headline News
(semi- citizen- contributed)--private

8. Main example
• Background information about four media
@头条新闻 Headline News (14638344)—2009
@新华视点Xinhua perspective (2772892)—2010
@人民日报 People’s Daily (1451177)—2012
@杂谈微吧 Mini topic (187483)—2012
PS. 67% Weibo users are young people between the
ages of 18 to 30 in China. (2010)

9. Timeline Original version Translation
@Mini Topic: 【Earthquake comes again!】
Two strongest of the quakes happened at
5.6 magnitude in Yunnan province at 11:19
a.m. on 7th, Sep. The quake jolted the
county at a depth of 14 kilometers. Yunnan
Provincial department of civil affairs is
delivering 6000 tents, quilts, and overcoats
as relief materials to disaster area.
repost(1699) comment(876)
@Xinhua perspective: 【Quake in Yunnan
kills 64, injures 715 】 According to the
information from Yunnan Provincial
department of civil affairs, 64 people have
been killed and 715 have been injured till
19:20 p.m. Power supplies and traffic have
been cut and the losses are under
investigation at present. (He& Wang)
repost(87) comment (22)

10. Timeline Original version Translation
@ Headline News: 【65 killed and 715
injured in two 5 magnitude quakes in
Yunnan】65 people have been killed and
715 have been injured till 23:30 p.m.
Rescue workers had reached 90% of the
quake-hit areas. Over 60 aftershocks
have occurred till 16p.m. on 7th, Sep.
repost(4975) comment(1041)
@People’s Daily: 【Yunnan: Special train
bounds for earthquake】 The trains, to
be served for relief work in the disaster
area, left Kunming at 19:13 p.m. on 7th,
Sep. 10 special trains with 35 crew
members took 1.5 times the usual food
and 2 times the usual water capacity to
disaster area.
repost(95) comment(56)

11. Comparison Website from Citizen-contributed
Traditional media website
Writing style Formal style or More links, videos,
format photos
Readers’ Readers are passive readers are active
contribution
Position Represents Represents opinions
institutional from readers and
authenticity and individuals
news organization,
even contain
political stance
Consider: Which one is more credible?

12. Conclusion
• The credibility is based on the journalists’ reporting
perspective and readers’ judgment. Readers have
opportunity to decide who they trust and what kind
of information is credible in blogosphere.
• Although traditional media and citizen-contributed
media are competing with each other, participatory
journalism in blogosphere without limitation is
popular, but what we need to bear in mind is that
the accuracy is most important for citizen journalism,
otherwise the credibility will decrease.
Video: Say Who, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB07MsE5ADY

13. Discussion question
• Gangs in Birmingham - The Citizen Journalists Report
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfrYQZJhIqU
• Birmingham Gangs: Fmr Home Secretary Jacqui Smith
views--BBC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2pZWQHF-O4
Q: Make a comparison between these two news
reports/programs, which one do you think is
more credible? Please describe what features
make the clips more or less credible.
(e.g. camera style, quality of image, choice of
image, language, choice of interviewee,
parody/comedy etc.)

14. Reference
• Arthur H S, Singer J B& Ceppos J 2007, ‘Shifting roles, enduring values: The credible journalist in a
digital age’, Journal of Mass Media Ethics, 22(4):262-279.
• Gillmor D 2004, We the media: Grassroots journalism by the people, for the people, chapter 6:
Professional journalists join the conversation, Authorama, viewed on 8th, September, available
online:
<http://www.authorama.com/we-the-media-7.html>
• Lascia J D 2003, Blogs and journalism need each other, Nieman Reports, September 22, 2003, pp.
70-74.
• Rosenberg S 2009, Closing the credibility gap, Journalism and social media, Nieman Reports, No.3,
pp. 44-45.
• Say Who? , Youtube. Com, viewed on 8th, September, available online:
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB07MsE5ADY>
• Gangs in Birmingham - The Citizen Journalists Report, Youtube. Com, viewed on 20th, September,
available online:
<http //www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfrYQZJhIqU >
• Birmingham Gangs: Fmr Home Secretary Jacqui Smith views—BBC, Youtube. Com, viewed on 20th,
September, available online:
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2pZWQHF-O4 >