Credibility determinants of news content on newspapers' social media pages: A field study in the context of Structural Equation Modeling

Gamal Mohamed Eid Salama, Amira

doi:10.21608/jkom.2024.349076

Credibility determinants of news content on newspapers' social media pages: A field study in the context of Structural Equation Modeling

Author

Amira Gamal Mohamed Eid Salama

Faculty of Mass Communication, Ain Shams University

10.21608/jkom.2024.349076

Abstract

The primary objective of this study was to delve into the specific criteria that determine the credibility of newspaper pages on Facebook. By amalgamating the key determinants identified in previous studies, the study aimed to construct a comprehensive model.
It sought to discern which of these determinants wielded the most significant effect on the credibility of news content on newspaper pages. Furthermore, the study investigated the role of external and personal factors in shaping this credibility, as well as the relationship between these determinants and the audience's approach to credibility, encompassing immediate credibility and verification credibility. To achieve these aims, the study developed a multi-variable theoretical model for the determinants of news content credibility on newspapers' Facebook pages, utilizing Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Subsequently, this model was applied to a sample of Egyptian individuals who actively follow newspapers' Facebook pages. The sample encompassed 454 participants aged 18 and above and was conducted from July 20th to August 28th, 2023.
The results of the convergent validity tests, discriminant validity tests, path coefficients, effect sizes, and hypothesis tests have unequivocally validated the proposed model's efficacy in measuring the credibility of news and informational content on social media platforms. Furthermore, the model exhibited robust predictive relevance and theoretical fit, harmonizing seamlessly with the field data model.
The credibility of the medium and the credibility of the message had a statistically significant effect on personal and External factors. Both external and personal factors had a statistically significant effect on the credibility of news content in its two forms.
These findings were reinforced through mediation analysis, which revealed the mediating effect of personal and external factors between message credibility and both verification credibility and apparent credibility. Additionally, a similar mediating effect was observed between medium credibility and both verification credibility and apparent credibility. Notably, no direct or indirect effect was identified between source credibility and any of the aforementioned credibility types.

Keywords

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