Shifting Roles, Enduring Values: The Credible Journalist in a Digital Age

Arthur S. Hayes
Jane B. Singer, University of Iowa
Jerry Ceppos

Abstract

When everyone can be a publisher, what distinguishes the journalist? This article considers contemporary challenges to institutional roles in a digital media environment and then turns to three broad journalistic normative values—authenticity, accountability, and autonomy—that affect the credibility of journalists and the content they provide. A set of questions that can help citizens determine the trustworthiness of information available to them emerges from the discussion.