Misinformation in action: Fake news exposure is linked to lower trust in media, higher trust in government when your side is in power

Autor: Katherine Ognyanova, David Lazer, Ronald E. Robertson, Christo Wilson
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2020
Předmět:
Zdroj: Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review, Vol 1, Iss 4 (2020)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2766-1652
DOI: 10.37016/mr-2020-024
Popis: One major concern about fake news is that it could damage the public trust in democratic institutions. We examined this possibility using longitudinal survey data combined with records of online behavior. Our study found that online misinformation was linked to lower trust in mainstream media across party lines. However, for moderates and conservatives, exposure to fake news predicted a higher confidence in political institutions. The mostly right-leaning fake news accessed by our moderate-to-conservative respondents could strengthen their trust in a Republican government. This was not true for liberals who could be biased against such content and less likely to believe its claims.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals