Hubungan antara Kredibilitas Sumber terhadap Tingkat Kepercayaan Masyarakat Kota Medan pada Portal Berita Kompas.com

Abstract

The advancement of information technology has increasingly driven society to rely on online media as a primary source of information. However, amidst the widespread dissemination of news via the internet, public trust in the media has become a critical issue. This study aims to examine the relationship between source credibility and the level of public trust among residents of Medan City toward the news portal Kompas.com. The main theoretical framework employed is the Source Credibility Theory developed by Hovland, Janis, and Kelley, which encompasses three core dimensions: expertise, trustworthiness, and attractiveness. This research adopts a quantitative correlational method with a survey approach. The sample consists of 100 purposively selected respondents from Medan City who have experience accessing Kompas.com as an information source. Data were collected using questionnaire and analyzed through the Spearman Rank correlation test. The results indicate a positive and significant relationship between source credibility and public trust, with a correlation coefficient of 0.406 and a significance level of < 0.001. These findings reinforce the relevance of source credibility theory in the context of digital media and affirm that media perceived as credible, such as Kompas.com, tend to gain higher levels of audience trust. This study also contributes to the development of mass communication studies, particularly in understanding the dynamics between digital media and audiences in the information era.