Fake News and Proximity Media: Digital Strategies to Protect Local News Credibility

Several studies reveal that local and regional media outlets have greater credibility than national and international ones, in a context marked by the growth of fake news. Audiences place their trust in close and reliable sources, while mistrust increases when dealing with distant sources. Local media are usually characterized by the lack of specific sections or specialized staff in fact-checking. In this scenario, our aim is to analyze the digital strategies carried out by local news media to protect their credibility and fight against fake news. By adopting a qualitative approach, this contribution develops a multiple-case study on four local media through in-depth interviews with local journalists in order to find out how these local news organizations deal with fake news, as well as to identify internal fact-checking resources and other digital strategies to fight against disinformation and protect their credibility. The results show that journalists need more training to face these verification tasks, but some differences emerge regarding the collaboration with digital platforms. We provide findings on the main tools applied, arguing that the central role of local media in their communities requires those news organizations to implement measures so that journalists are involved in fact-checking actions.