Credibility of State Media in Times of Crisis: Case of Corona Pandemic (COVID-19) in Kuwait
, Vol.8
, The special issue (the 29th): Media and the Coronavirus (Covied -19) : Credibility or Crises and Rumors? Part One
PP:12
Authors:
Dr. Fatima Alsalem-Assistant Professor of PR & Advertising,Mass Communication Department,College of Arts,Kuwait University
Abstract:
In the field of media and credibility studies, there have been various studies on the credibility perception of mass media and the factors that influence it. However, there is paucity of research investigations on media credibility in times of crisis, especially in Kuwait. This study therefore, examined news media users-based equity and credibility applying the credible perception model in order to assess how audience make credibility judgments about the media during a pandemic like Corona virus (COVID-19) in Kuwait.
A cross-sectional survey methodology of Kuwaiti nationals (N=676) asked respondents to identify the time they spend on social media, credibility perceptions, sources of information, satisfaction with media content and media equity. Analysis of the data indicated that age is negatively correlated with social media use suggesting that the older the participants the less time they spend on social media.
Moreover, the study found that satisfaction with media content is positively correlated with credibility perception. In addition, the analysis showed that there is a positive correlation between social media use and satisfaction with its content. On the other hand, although the study found that social media was the main source of information among Kuwaitis during the Corona pandemic, however was the least credible source of information. Lastly, the study found that state media gained the highest satisfaction rate among other media outlets and the press got the highest credibility perception.
Key Words:
crises, official media, the Corona pandemic.
Research Language:
Arabic
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