Assessing Credibility of Facebook and News Trust: A Case Study of University Students in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Abstract

This research study explores how students in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa perceive the credibility of news on Facebook and examines if there is a relationship between the use of Facebook and the news-sharing attitude of the varsity students in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan. The researcher has adopted a quantitative, cross sectional survey methodology, having a sample of 308 students, via the stratified random sampling. The study is based on a structured questionnaire, with Likert scale items, examining students’ perceptions regarding the trustworthiness of news on the social platform, as well as how their engagement in news verification practices. The findings of the Chi-Square test show an important link between frequent use of Facebook and an increased perception of credibility regarding news obtained from the platform, with 62.3% of students engaging in the practice of cross verifying news. However, 10.4% of students showed they do not check the authenticity of news they receive, which pointed to a lack of digital literacy. The study also highlights the importance of media literacy education to counter such issues and increase students’ ability for news credibility assessment, with the overall aim of promoting responsible news consumption. The findings reveal certain key information for policymakers, educators, and media to increase critical thinking and digital literacy among students in KP.