Digital News Exposure and Youths' Perceptions of Mainstream Media Credibility in Jalingo, Taraba State, Nigeria
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This study examined digital news consumption and how youths in Jalingo Metropolis, Taraba State, Nigeria reconfigure their trust in mainstream media. Guided by Media Trust Theory, it used a qualitative descriptive design and conducted 20 Key Informant Interviews and four Focus Group Discussions with digitally active youths from January to April 2026. Data were analysed thematically and textually. The study found that digital news exposure is part of youths’ everyday media practices. This happens through intentional searches, incidental encounters, peer circulation, and routine engagement across Facebook, WhatsApp, X, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and digital newspapers. Digital platforms are recognized for their speed, accessibility, and responsiveness. In contrast, mainstream media offer strengths in verification, accuracy, professionalism, comprehensive reporting, and institutional accountability. However, political influence, selective reporting, and delayed coverage generate scepticism. The study concludes that digitalisation has reconfigured rather than displaced trust in mainstream media, producing a conditional, functionspecific, comparative, and dynamically negotiated pattern of confidence
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