The Double-Edged Sword of Social Media Sourcing in Nigerian Investigative Journalism: An Exploratory Study of Credibility Challenges and Opportunities

This study examines the tension between the increasing use of social media as a sourcing tool in Nigerian investigative journalism and its implications for journalistic credibility. Titled “The Double-Edged Sword of Social Media Sourcing in Nigerian Investigative Journalism: An Exploratory Study of Credibility Challenges and Opportunities,” the research focuses on investigative journalism practice within Enugu metropolis. It explores how journalists source user-generated content, the ethical and verification frameworks they apply, and how both journalists and media audiences perceive the credibility of information derived from social media. Guided by two research questions and one hypothesis, the study adopts a mixed-methods sequential exploratory design. The qualitative phase involved in-depth interviews with 15 purposively selected investigative journalists, while the quantitative phase surveyed 250 respondents comprising 100 journalists and 150 media consumers using structured questionnaires. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis for qualitative responses and descriptive statistics alongside Pearson’s correlation coefficient for quantitative data. Findings indicate that investigative journalists frequently rely on informal verification methods due to the absence of institutional guidelines and dedicated digital verification tools. The study also reveals a statistically significant negative relationship between the frequency of social media sourcing and public trust (r = -0.34, p < 0.01), suggesting that increased dependence on social media sources weakens audience confidence in journalistic output. Overall, the study concludes that weak verification structures undermine both accuracy and credibility in investigative reporting. It recommends the institutionalization of standardized sourcing and verification protocols, enhanced training for journalists, and regulatory transparency requirements to strengthen public trust in digital-era journalism.