Credibilidad de los medios: un análisis bivariado de las opiniones de los espa oles. Media credibility: a bivariate analysis of the Spanish views

Credibility is a central topic in the debate about the news media. Several reasons justify its study such as the implication on the news media quality or the possible association with people’s media consume. This paper examines the Spanish public opinion about the news media with the greatest credibility. The association with variables such as gender, age, education, media preference for news, level of news exposure, level of diversity in news media diet, and pattern of news consumption is explored. We analyzed data from a survey conducted in 2010 to a representative sample (n= 1,205) of the Spanish population. The paper concludes that the majority of the sample thinks that the television is the most credible media. However, findings depend on the individual traits of the individuals. The opinion about the most credible news media is mainly associated with education level. The association with pattern of news consumption and media preference suggests that people attribute more credibility to the media they use more often; therefore, relative credibility indicates a signal of affectivity rather than a comparative judgment about the veracity of news contents.