Studies conducted during the preceding decades reveal important insights into what aspects of media affect the perception of credibility. Source attribution, a reporter’s political affiliation and the specific medium through which the information itself is presented all influence the public’s perception of trust. Synthesizing these studies into a single narrative seeks to further the discussion on contemporary public perspectives of media credibility. In this research I will examine the criteria through which public perception of credibility is affected. I will analyze past research studies involving public perception of trust and political bias in news media. I hypothesize that perception of source credibility will be affected by both the reputation and perceived political bias of a news source. I hope to show a relationship between these criteria and a decrease or increase in perceived credibility.
