Telephone surveys were conducted in Detroit and Grand Rapids, Michigan, to assess both the relative credibility of news presentations by the local news media and respondents' reasons for using these media. The results supported previous research on local news credibility, suggesting that television was the more believable medium, even in a local context. Although similar instruments were used in both cities, differences between Detroit and Grand Rapids credibility data suggested that cross-city comparisons may not always be valid. Different reasons for using media were found in the two cities, suggesting that future research in media credibility should consider the effects of media environment, life-cycle position, community size, and community structure on media use before considering credibility. The lack of perceived conflict in news presentation between local television and newspapers suggested that hypothetical conflict situations may not be valid assessments of credibility. (Author/RL)