Could online warning labels from fact-checkers be ineffective — or perhaps even backfire — for individuals who distrust fact-checkers? Across 21 experiments, we found that the answer is no: warning labels reduce belief in, and sharing of, posts labelled as false both on average and for participants who strongly distrust fact-checkers.
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References
Martel, C. & Rand, D. G. Misinformation warning labels are widely effective: a review of warning effects and their moderating features. Curr. Opin. Psychol. 54, 101710 (2023). A review that presents a summary of research examining the average effects of warning labels on false news.
Guess, A., Nagler, J. & Tucker, J. Less than you think: prevalence and predictors of fake news dissemination on Facebook. Sci. Adv. 5, eaau4586 (2019). An analysis of Facebook data that shows that political conservatives are more likely than liberals or moderates to share articles from fake news domains in the USA.
Nyhan, B. & Reifler, J. Estimating Fact-Checking’s Effects (American Press Institute, 2015). Survey data evidence that Republicans have less favourable views of fact-checking than Democrats in the USA.
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This is a summary of: Martel, C. & Rand, D. G. Fact-checker warning labels are effective even for those who distrust fact-checkers. Nat. Hum. Behav. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-024-01973-x (2024).
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Online misinformation warning labels work despite distrust of fact-checkers. Nat Hum Behav (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-024-01974-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-024-01974-w
