An experimental study of the effectiveness of fact checks: interplay of evidence type, veracity and news agreement
ISSN: 1468-4527
Article publication date: 24 April 2023
Issue publication date: 8 November 2023
Abstract
Purpose
Given the rapid growth in efforts on misinformation correction, the study aims to test how evidence type and veracity interact with news agreement on the effectiveness of fact-checking on how well a corrective message discount a false news information.
Design/methodology/approach
Experimental participants (N = 511) in Hong Kong were exposed to the same news article and then to a piece of corrective information debunking the news article with variation in the types of evidence (numerical vs narrative) and veracity (no verdict vs half false vs entirely false) in 2019.
Findings
Among the participants who disagreed with the news article, numerical fact-checking was more effective than narrative fact-checking in discounting the news article. Some evidence of the backfire effect was found among participants for whom the article was attitude incongruent.
Originality/value
When debunking false information with people exposed to attitude-incongruent news, a milder verdict presented in the form of a half-false scale can prompt a more positive perception of the issue at stake than an entirely false scale, implying that a less certain verdict can help in mitigating the backfire effect compared to a certain verdict.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Funding: This research was supported by the Hong Kong Baptist University’s Start-up Grant (Tier 1) [AY2017/18].
Citation
Tsang, S.J., Zheng, J., Li, W. and Salaudeen, M.A. (2023), "An experimental study of the effectiveness of fact checks: interplay of evidence type, veracity and news agreement", Online Information Review, Vol. 47 No. 7, pp. 1415-1429. https://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-09-2022-0492
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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