Journalism Credibility in the digital age 1 Journalism Credibility in the digital age – Examining shifts in paradigms By Joseph Kerunga Tangaza University College Kenya Evan Rowe University of Colorado – Boulder USA Gregory Gondwe University of Colorado – Boulder USA Abstract This paper set out to explore the dominant measures of media credibility that have stood as a hallmark since the 1930s. By investigating their origins, the paper appends an old, and yet overlooked measure - “the local context”, to the already existing ones: source, message, medium, and web credibility. The paper highlights historical antecedents that support the claim and the argument that credibility, and especially in the digital age requires an extended understanding that includes the context or environment. By so doing, we would be able to explain why people choose to believe in inaccurate or false information. Predominantly, the paper interrogates why individuals in eco-chambers believe that a particular source, message, medium, or web is credible regardless of the content of the message. Keywords: media credibility, source, medium, message, web, local context Introduction The neoliberal media that has emerged in the wake of advanced technologies is often accused of mediocracy, sensationalism, and political activism. Its journalists are alleged to indulge in adversarial and muckraking practices, therefore, undermining the credibility of the mainstream media. Existing media regulatory systems, which once posed as hallmarks for promoting professional journalism in the US, and the world at large, have become ‘watchdogs in chains’ (Stummer and Rioba, 2001) – only capable of ‘barking’ with no action. The mainstream