• Korean journal of communication and information
• /
• v.46
• /
• pp.177-211
• /
• 2009

The purpose of this study is to investigate how portal users recognize the role and function of the portal as a press. Furthermore, this study aims to analyze the pattern of portal news use among portal users and their recognition about replies to news. For this, we conducted online survey of 1,036 people aged from 15 to 45, who used portal site at least once a week. As a result, most users(70.8%) agreed that portal news played a role as a press with other media. In addition, six out of ten agreed that portal news set the agenda of society. These results suggest that portal users think highly of the social impact and responsibility of portal in society. However, about 40 percent of respondents said that they did not trust in information shown in replies to news and many replies to news were written by albeit. Six out of ten thought that replies to news were written by intention. Therefore, to manage the quality of replies to news is necessary to secure the credibility of portal news. As respondents use portal news often, they tend to think that portals are convenient to use and their social impact is very large, at the same time considering their sensation and commercialization. On the other hand, as portal users use the internet often, they tend to think that portals are convenient to use and their social impact is immense. However, there was no significant relationship between income and portal users' recognition of portals as the press.