Use, Evaluate, and Treat Critically Information Received From the Mass Media Table of Contents | Information Competence Tutorials Home | CSUMB Library Home

Credibility   Currency of the Report A fourth element that enhances credibility of reports is the issue of time...how soon after the event is information relayed.The more contemporaneous the reports of an event, to the occurrence of those events, the higher the credibility of reports. Again, the "Eyewitness news principle." Newscasts want their audiences to recognize that they are showing them events as they happen....live. Some programs even use the slogan "Live at five" to underscore the contemporaniety of their reports.