The Factuality of News on Twitter According to Digital Qualified Audiences: Expectations, Perceptions, and Divergences with Journalism Considerations

This research analyzes to what extent qualified digital audiences perceive, understand, and value the factuality of news published by news media within a communicative ecosystem where unverified information proliferates on social media. Additionally, it examines which factors may influence what high...

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Main Authors: José Luis Rojas Torrijos, Álvaro Garrote Fuentes
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-01-01
Series:Journalism and Media
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5172/6/1/3
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author José Luis Rojas Torrijos
Álvaro Garrote Fuentes
author_facet José Luis Rojas Torrijos
Álvaro Garrote Fuentes
author_sort José Luis Rojas Torrijos
collection DOAJ
description This research analyzes to what extent qualified digital audiences perceive, understand, and value the factuality of news published by news media within a communicative ecosystem where unverified information proliferates on social media. Additionally, it examines which factors may influence what highly educated and critically capable information audiences expect to find when consuming journalism. A qualitative, comparative study was conducted from a sample obtained of the ten most relevant statements on socio-political topics with the highest number of interactions published on the Twitter (X) accounts of six European digital and legacy media (Médiapart and Le Monde, France; Tortoise and The Guardian, United Kingdom; El Diario.es and El País, Spain), along with their reflection and development on the respective websites. With an expanded analytical scope to 300 tweet-news items (<i>n</i> = 300), two in-person focus groups were held at the College of Europe in Natolin (Poland) with postgraduate students from nine countries to assess their perception of the degree of truthfulness, bias, quality, and credibility of the displayed information. The results indicate that young, qualified digital audiences feel secure and capable of detecting any disinformation disorder. They value the variety of mentioned and verifiable sources, the presence of expert voices, and data-based claims as key elements in constructing credible media narratives.
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spelling doaj-art-bef3d5c60f1b4474b7f55ae0ef1b35482025-08-20T01:48:41ZengMDPI AGJournalism and Media2673-51722025-01-0161310.3390/journalmedia6010003The Factuality of News on Twitter According to Digital Qualified Audiences: Expectations, Perceptions, and Divergences with Journalism ConsiderationsJosé Luis Rojas Torrijos0Álvaro Garrote Fuentes1Department of Journalism II, Faculty of Communication Studies, University of Seville, 41092 Sevilla, SpainCollege of Europe in Natolin, 02-797 Warsaw, PolandThis research analyzes to what extent qualified digital audiences perceive, understand, and value the factuality of news published by news media within a communicative ecosystem where unverified information proliferates on social media. Additionally, it examines which factors may influence what highly educated and critically capable information audiences expect to find when consuming journalism. A qualitative, comparative study was conducted from a sample obtained of the ten most relevant statements on socio-political topics with the highest number of interactions published on the Twitter (X) accounts of six European digital and legacy media (Médiapart and Le Monde, France; Tortoise and The Guardian, United Kingdom; El Diario.es and El País, Spain), along with their reflection and development on the respective websites. With an expanded analytical scope to 300 tweet-news items (<i>n</i> = 300), two in-person focus groups were held at the College of Europe in Natolin (Poland) with postgraduate students from nine countries to assess their perception of the degree of truthfulness, bias, quality, and credibility of the displayed information. The results indicate that young, qualified digital audiences feel secure and capable of detecting any disinformation disorder. They value the variety of mentioned and verifiable sources, the presence of expert voices, and data-based claims as key elements in constructing credible media narratives.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5172/6/1/3factualitydisinformationTwitterdigital audiencesjournalism
spellingShingle José Luis Rojas Torrijos
Álvaro Garrote Fuentes
The Factuality of News on Twitter According to Digital Qualified Audiences: Expectations, Perceptions, and Divergences with Journalism Considerations
Journalism and Media
factuality
disinformation
Twitter
digital audiences
journalism
title The Factuality of News on Twitter According to Digital Qualified Audiences: Expectations, Perceptions, and Divergences with Journalism Considerations
title_full The Factuality of News on Twitter According to Digital Qualified Audiences: Expectations, Perceptions, and Divergences with Journalism Considerations
title_fullStr The Factuality of News on Twitter According to Digital Qualified Audiences: Expectations, Perceptions, and Divergences with Journalism Considerations
title_full_unstemmed The Factuality of News on Twitter According to Digital Qualified Audiences: Expectations, Perceptions, and Divergences with Journalism Considerations
title_short The Factuality of News on Twitter According to Digital Qualified Audiences: Expectations, Perceptions, and Divergences with Journalism Considerations
title_sort factuality of news on twitter according to digital qualified audiences expectations perceptions and divergences with journalism considerations
topic factuality
disinformation
Twitter
digital audiences
journalism
url https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5172/6/1/3
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