Preaching to the Unconverted: How Politicians Attacking the Media Influence Citizens' Evaluation of News Credibility

In the contemporary digital information landscape, the dissemination of news is frequently intertwined with critiques from political figures. Populist politicians, especially, have used social media platforms to target journalists and question the legitimacy of news media. Despite the concerning nature of this behavior, the empirical evidence on how such accusations influence public perceptions of news credibility remains limited. To address this research gap, this study investigates the impact of politicians' attacks on citizens' perceived credibility of news content in Norway, a highly trusting society with strong national publishers and public service media. We conduct a vignette experiment to assess whether a politician's act of shaming a traditional media outlet (ideologically distant from his/her viewpoints) on social media affects the perceived credibility of the news story. The findings suggest that politicians' attacks on news stories significantly affect citizens' perceptions of news credibility, particularly when a right-wing populist politician targets a liberal media outlet. Interestingly, the effect was stronger among individuals who were ideologically distant from the politician's party and those with high trust in the targeted media outlet. These results indicate that politicians attacking the media are not merely preaching to the converted; rather, their behavior can influence broader public perceptions of news credibility. By highlighting these dynamics, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of the relationship between elite political discourse, social media, and public trust in news content.