News Consumption and Sharing Behaviors of Undergraduate Students in Turkey in the Post-Truth Era

ABSTRACT

Purpose: This study aims to investigate news consumption and sharing behaviors of university students in Turkey. Method: The research was carried out on the students who are studying at the undergraduate level at foundation and state universities in Turkey. Quota sampling was used in sample selection. Data were collected by applying an online survey between June and July 2020. SPSS software was used in the analysis of the data, and descriptive statistics and chi-square test were used in the presentation of the findings. Findings: Most of the participants did not receive any training on media, news and information literacy. 93% of the participants follow the news actively, and the most preferred news sources are Twitter, online news sites and newspapers, and television. Among all news sources, the least trusted source is social media. Approximately 70% of those educated in media, news or information literacy check the source or platform of the news. Half of the participants think that journalists reflect their own prejudices on the news. In addition, the rate of those who believe that the news media is impartial is only 5%. With the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 75% of the participants started to follow the news more frequently. Implications Findings seem to be in line with global news consumption behaviors of university students and indicate a need for a well-planned training program which specifically addresses news verification methods and techniques. Originality The original aspect of this study is that it focuses on young people studying at universities in Turkey and deals with their news consumption and sharing behaviors.