TikTok News: How The Washington Post ’s Use of Platform Logics Affects Perceptions of Journalists and News Learning

In a period of high competition, many contemporary journalists attract audience attention by adopting the stylistic conventions (“logics”) of platforms like TikTok to deliver news online. However, the effects of this content on audience trust and learning remain unclear. Using two online experiments, we examine whether audiences perceive journalists as credible and learn from news videos employing TikTok logics, compared to traditional print articles. Results indicate that journalists using TikTok logics may effectively capture attention but are viewed as less trustworthy, credible, professional, and knowledgeable, though more likable, than print journalists. Learning outcomes are similar across formats.