Johnson, T.J. and Kaye, B.K.

Johnson, T.J. And Kaye, B.K. (2004). Wag the Blog: How Reliance on Traditional Media and the Internet Influence Credibility Perceptions of Weblogs Among Blog Users. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, Vol. 81, No. 3. Retrieved from: http://www.glog.nl/wiki/upload/docs/thomas%20j%20johnson.pdf

The article considers the relative credibility of "Weblogs" as opposed to traditional news sources. The authors argue that, although this sources of media information has largely been ignored by the scholarship, it deserves recognition for a number of reasons, including its growing prevalence in the media. Before examining Weblogs specifically, the article focuses on past studies of non-traditional media and their credibility. Four research questions are posed, after which the methodology is described in depth. Ultimately, the research finds that there is a correlation between talk radio use and the perception of Weblog credibility. In other words, listeners to talk radio tend to regard Weblogs as more credible than those who do not.

Reese, S.D. Rutigliano, L., Hyun, K., and Jeong, J. (2005, Apr. 1). Zapping the blogosphere: Citizen-based media in the global news arena. University of Texas, School of Journalism

The research is based upon the assumption that globalization has brought a greater sense of connectedness among media users than ever before. The use of Weblogs is one manifestation of this, where Internet users connect by means of contributing news by means of online media. To create a platform for study, the authors examine different sources of news media, including the traditional, online citizen media, and blogging. Each receives great attention as the underlying concerns are being mapped and discussed. This study found that there is a greater correlation between online media and the perceived credibility of traditional news sources than might initially be assumed.

Paulussen, S., Heinonen, A., Domingo, D. And Quandt, T. (2007). Doing it Together: Citizen Participation in the Professional News Making Process. Observatorio Journal, Vol. 3. Retrieved from: http://biblio.ugent.be/input/download?func=downloadFile&fileOId=731819

The study uses data from four countries to determine the factors that influence participatory journalism. These include Belgium, Finland, Germany and Spain. The authors note that the growth of the Internet has enabled a democratic type of participation in a greater sense than has ever been the case before. This sense of demogracy has become the heart of participatory communication, rather than any perceived credibility, it appears. Some of the concepts considered include public journalism, interactive journalism, participatory journalism, and citizen journalism. Ultimately, the study found that there is still significant barriers to true democratic participation in the online media, despite greater access by all citizens.

Mitchelstein, E. And Boczkowski, P.J. (2009). Between tradition and change: A review of recent research on online news production. Journalism, Vol. 10. Retrieved from: http://irtvu.com/files/Article/attach-bulletin-24-105.pdf

The article considers four aspects of change in basic journalistic practices to explain the current phenomenon of newsgathering practices across the Internet. These include modifications in editorial workflow, alterations in news-gathering practices, acceleration of temporal patterns of content production, and the convergence of print, broadcast, and online operations. This has dramatically changed the face of journalism and created the phenomenon of the "user as content producer." The finding is that this is a growing and dynamic phenomenon. The fluid nature of the new media should be subject to further study to come to an ultimate conclusion regarding its true contribution to the media.

Johnson, T.J., Kaye, B.K., Bichard, S.L. And Wong, W.J. (2007). Every Blog has its day" Politically0interested Internet Users' perceptions of blog credibility. Retrieved from: http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/johnson.html

And interesting dimension enters the blog using public when politics becomes the central phenomenon of interest. In addition to the increase prevalence of the online phenomenon, the authors find that those with political interests tend to be more trusting of other like-minded individuals who make use of the online platform to espouse their views. An online survey is used to determine the level of perceived credibility for blogs in the political arena. One possible reason for this perception of credibility is the single-minded stature of political blog use; where one view is generally favored over another.