FAKE NEWS AND PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF ONLINE NEWS: A STUDY OF RESIDENTS OF CALABAR METROPOLIS
Abstract
This research examined Fake News and Public Perception of Online News: A Study of
Residents of Calabar Metropolis. The main objectives of this study were to find out the rate at
which fake news is spread through the internet among residents of Calabar Metropolis and to
examine how fake news has influenced public perception of online news source among
residents of Calabar Metropolis. The study adopted the Gatekeeping theory as its theoretical
framework. The study adopted the survey method, multistage sampling technique and
questionnaire was used to generate data from the respondents. A total of three hundred (300)
copies of the questionnaire were administered to the respondents and 294 copies were
retrieved from the respondents. Findings from the study revealed that fake news has
influenced respondents’ perception of online news source as they rarely trust news on
the internet, they scrutinize online news sources before believing such news as true
and they read beyond the headlines to ascertain the authenticity of the source. Further
findings revealed that the factors that determine credible online news source are
fairness and accuracy, truth and objectivity and trust and transparency. The study
recommended that internet users in Calabar Metropolis and other environments should
thoroughly scrutinize online news sources before believing such news as true and they
should read beyond the headlines to ascertain the authenticity of the source.
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