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Citizen journalism reduces the credibility deficit of authoritarian government in risk communication amid COVID-19 outbreaks

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  • Greg Chih-Hsin Sheen
  • Hans H Tung
  • Wen-Chin Wu

Abstract

During the outbreak of an epidemic, the success in risk communications to make the public comply with disease preventive measures depends on the public’s trust in the government. In this study, we aim to understand how media audiences update their trust in the government during the COVID-19 outbreak depending on the information they received. We conducted an online survey experiment in February 2020 in Hong Kong (n = 1,016) in which respondents were randomly provided with a government press release and an endorsement either from an official or a non-official source. This study shows that the information from a non-official source enhances the credibility of official government messages. Our findings imply that dictators can actually “borrow credibility” from their citizen journalists and even nondemocratic leaders can make themselves more trustworthy to potential dissenters through citizen journalism. Allowing information flow from non-official sources can be a practical measure for governments to address the problem of a credibility deficit during a pandemic.

Suggested Citation

  • Greg Chih-Hsin Sheen & Hans H Tung & Wen-Chin Wu, 2021. "Citizen journalism reduces the credibility deficit of authoritarian government in risk communication amid COVID-19 outbreaks," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(12), pages 1-14, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0260961
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260961
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gabe Mythen, 2010. "Reframing risk? Citizen journalism and the transformation of news," Journal of Risk Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(1), pages 45-58, January.
    2. Nicholas Haas & Prabin B. Khadka, 2020. "If They Endorse It, I Can't Trust It: How Outgroup Leader Endorsements Undercut Public Support for Civil War Peace Settlements," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 64(4), pages 982-1000, October.
    3. Chun-Fang Chiang & Brian Knight, 2011. "Media Bias and Influence: Evidence from Newspaper Endorsements," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 78(3), pages 795-820.
    4. Michael Siegrist & George Cvetkovich, 2000. "Perception of Hazards: The Role of Social Trust and Knowledge," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 20(5), pages 713-720, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Daiki Kishishita & Hans H. Tung & Charlotte Wang, 2024. "Ambiguity and self-protection: evidence from social distancing under the COVID-19 pandemic," The Japanese Economic Review, Springer, vol. 75(2), pages 269-300, April.

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