He says that unlike face-to-face, ‘offline’ social networks, online social networks lend themselves to easy group formation. The resultant looser, more extensive social ties then lead to more diverse, and ultimately more trustworthy and credible news and information delivery. Full Story »
Posted by Rory O'Connor
Interesting report about the impact of social networks on journalism and its credibility. The author, a Shorenstein Fellow at Harvard's Kennedy School, has interviewed a number of leading researchers in this emerging field, and presents recent findings as well as helpful context on this important topic. This is part of larger investigation: his full report, Word of Mouse, is very worthwhile reading (see link).
Disclosure: Rory O'Connor is a personal friend and was NewsTrust's first Editorial Director from 2006 to 2008.