Credibility …to be, or not to be?
An interesting article reads about the credibility of newspapers, and how they gain it.
“If a person is credible, they have a good reputation and people trust them. If a press release is credible, it is a believable and trustworthy source of news,” the article reads. While the article focuses on ways for PR teams to make sure their releases are credible, newspapers need to make sure they’re credible, as well.
Perhaps one of the most difficult things a college newspaper could deal with is gaining respect and credit. With editors coming and going, credibility can hardly ever be established. You see, credibility takes time … and in a college newsroom, that just isn’t possible. The longest most editors are even with the paper is two years (there are exceptions … like the ambitious freshmen), but that doesn’t leave a lot of time for readers to trust particular names.
Major newspapers have a whole life to precede them; there’s not traditionally one face connected to the face of the paper. In smaller communities like colleges, students get to know their editors. One mistake and credibility is gone. Credibility to the person’s skills, and to the facts of the entirety of the paper.
