We identified two components of honesty — ‘belief speaking’ and ‘fact speaking’ — in public-facing communication by US politicians. For Republicans, belief speaking is strongly associated with the sharing of untrustworthy information. Fact speaking is associated with the sharing of more reliable information, irrespective of party affiliation.
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References
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This is a summary of: Lasser, J. et al. From alternative conceptions of honesty to alternative facts in communications by US politicians. Nat. Hum. Behav. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-023-01691-w (2023).
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Could a shift in society’s conception of ‘honesty’ explain the spread of misinformation in the USA?. Nat Hum Behav 7, 2062–2063 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-023-01692-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-023-01692-9
