Articles tagged with News Media
A study examining Facebook users' news feeds found that reducing exposure to content from politically 'like-minded' sources had no measurable effect on political beliefs or attitudes during the 2020 US presidential election. The study also found that participants were exposed to more cross-cutting sources and less uncivil content after...
Most research on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) harms is unpublicized, according to a new study. The analysis found that studies without press releases received little or no media attention, limiting their impact.
Research found that seeing bad news about climate change can make people more afraid over time, but also may encourage audiences to think about what society can do to address the problem. Repeated exposure to threatening messages can lead to increased efficacy beliefs and a greater sense of control.
Researchers developed a validated test to measure misinformation susceptibility, finding younger adults and those spending more time online are worse at identifying false headlines. The study used AI-generated fake headlines and found that social media and political affiliation were significant factors in susceptibility.
A meta-analysis of 60,000 participants found that corrections are more successful when issues are emotionally positive, match ideology, and provide abundant details. However, polarized misinformation proves harder to correct, with corrections failing twice as often.
The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) collects reports of adverse events after vaccination, but public confusion about its nature and reports has increased. A new report recommends renaming the system to a clearer alternative and making additional changes to reduce misinterpretation.
People who consumed kind acts after a terrorist attack reported fewer negative emotions and more positive perceptions. Lighthearted news also showed an emotional buffering effect. The study suggests that positive news can mitigate the negative impact of bad news, promoting good mental health.
A recent study by University of Exeter researchers found that the Bank of England's media coverage plays a significant role in reinforcing accountability. The study analyzed 13,986 articles from major news outlets and discovered that media coverage levels are strongly linked to parliamentary hearings and speeches by central bankers. Th...
Cornell University researchers found that teens' trust in COVID-19 news on social media is key to their well-being. Higher levels of trust are linked to a positive sense of social well-being and lower levels can lead to stress. News literacy programs are crucial for young people to discern fact-based sources from misinformation.
A study from the University of Georgia found that whistleblowers who once trusted journalism are now losing faith due to a decline in media's ability to motivate change. The erosion of media's reach has led to a decrease in trust, with many whistleblowers seeking alternative mediums to spread their message.
A new study by University of Cambridge researchers found that offering tiny cash rewards for accuracy can increase people's ability to distinguish between misinformation and the truth. The study suggests that fake news thrives due to a motivational imbalance, where users have more incentive to get clicks than to spread accurate content.
A new study by MIT scholars reveals that sharing news on social media can lead to a decline in accuracy, as considering sharing impairs people's ability to discern truth. The study found that asking participants about sharing reduced their success rate at telling truths from falsehoods, with a 35% decrease in accuracy.
Researchers found that televised debates have little effect on voter decisions, with information from other sources such as media and activists being more influential. Voter choice consistency increased by 17 percentage points over the last two months of campaigns, affecting electoral results.
Researchers found that Americans are more receptive to counter-partisan messages than previously thought, and party loyalty does not significantly distort their processing of evidence. The study used a survey of over 5,000 partisans to test the effect of persuasive messaging on their attitudes.
Researchers analyzed nearly 400,000 Twitter posts to find that five popular conspiracy theories overlapped in narratives highlighting malicious purposes and secretive actions. The most common conspiracies included those related to Bill Gates, 5G Networks, vaccinations, QAnon, and Agenda 21.
A new project aims to examine the circulation of newspaper reports on anti-Black violence between 1863 and 1921. The team will use computational methods to trace how stories spread across the country and map their impact, with potential applications for studying other forms of racial violence.
A Temple-led study explores how recently firearm-injured individuals perceive news media coverage of their injuries and firearm violence. Participants reported feeling relieved when not
Researchers tracked tweets about two invasive insects, spotted lanternfly and Tuta absoluta, on Twitter and in news stories. They found that activity patterns on these platforms aligned with official surveys, providing insights into pest spread timing and location.
A recent study published in PLOS ONE found that faces paired with fake news headlines are perceived as trustworthy regardless of disputed labels. The research suggests that long-term perceptions of trustworthiness are more influenced by the content of the headline rather than the label itself.
The study found that fact-checkers in the US primarily assessed existence claims, while Australians focused on solutions. Effective fact-checking presentations included visual information, concise summaries, and clear verdicts. Researchers hope to expand their research to cover the role of fact-checking in COVID-19 and other topics.
A recent study found that cannabis studies are often reported in positive terms in the media regardless of their results. The analysis of 20 studies involving 1,500 individuals showed a moderate to large placebo response, where pain was rated as being significantly less intense after treatment with placebo.
A pre-pandemic conspiratorial mindset was associated with hesitance to accept COVID-19 vaccines, a new study suggests. Individuals who held conspiracy theories prior to the pandemic were more likely to believe in COVID-19 conspiracy theories and report hesitancy to be vaccinated.
New research by Lancaster University and Bocconi University finds that Kenyan parents with access to mass media believe the risk of dying in a terrorist attack is 12 times larger than actual rates. This leads to children being kept out of schools, affecting their education and future earnings.
A study found that Romanian media coverage of brown bears increased significantly after 2016, mainly reporting on conflicts, hunting, and poaching. The attitude towards bears was predominantly negative, with little consideration for their ecological significance.
A study found that individuals with dark personality traits, such as narcissism and psychopathy, are more susceptible to fake news. Epistemic beliefs, which prioritize personal interests over evidence-based information, play a significant role in this susceptibility.
Researchers found that personal experiences with COVID-19, such as contracting the virus or losing loved ones, were strong predictors of mental health symptoms. Exposure to pandemic-related media also played a significant role in psychological distress. The study suggests targeted interventions to prevent loss of life and curbing the s...
A new study from the University of Kansas reveals that media coverage of Hurricane Harvey in 2017 perpetuated racial biases in image presentation, showing people of color as displaced migrants, women as damsels in distress, and white men as saviors. The study highlights how these representations reinforce cultural narratives and stereo...
A new study from the University of Kansas found that racial and ethnic minority populations in the US faced unique challenges while seeking COVID-19 information online, including misinformation, harassment, and hostility. Younger and healthier individuals were more resistant to vaccination due to lower perceived risk and benefit.
A new study by University of Pennsylvania researchers found that people share information that is meaningful to themselves or their friends and family. The study analyzed the behavior of over 3,000 individuals and discovered that sharing activates reward centers in the brain and is driven by social relevance.
People with news addiction experience stress, anxiety, and physical ill health due to constant exposure. A new study reveals a significant link between problematic news consumption and poor mental and physical wellbeing.
Researchers explored the global spread of misinformation on spiders, finding that sensationalism and misinformation decrease when experts are consulted. Local events can quickly become international news, emphasizing the need for improved information quality at local nodes to reverberate globally.
A study analyzed 10 years of cable TV news and found that networks like Fox and MSNBC have shifted further to the right and left, respectively. The ideological gap between channels became extreme after the 2016 Presidential election, particularly in primetime programming.
New research from UC Santa Cruz shows improvements in autistic adult representation in media and advocacy websites, with a notable increase in adult representations in film and television. However, the study also highlights persistent issues with childlike portrayals and limited attention to intersectionality.
Researchers found that partisans tend to justify their own party's falsehoods and view those of opposing parties as unacceptable. The study suggests that this partisan charitability can be driven by a desire for trustworthiness within one's own group, but not necessarily outside it.
New research finds that journalists and laypersons describe racial and gender inequalities in terms of disadvantage, while wealth inequality is described in terms of advantage. The framing of inequalities is linked to their perceived legitimacy, with illegitimate inequalities being framed more strongly as disadvantages.
A new study highlights the importance of addressing Africa's unique media landscape in combating misinformation. Pavement media, including discussions in marketplaces and social spaces, play a key role in spreading false information.
Forewarning messages and annotations effectively raised study participants' awareness of potential bias in political news articles. The study found that visualizations can communicate bias, improving media bias awareness.
A Simon Fraser University study found that Google's autocomplete subtitles for 37 conspiracy theorists were never consistent with their behavior. The labels often normalized individuals who spread misinformation and harm to minority groups. Researchers call for Google to review these subtitles to better inform the public.
A recent study analyzing traditional and social media trends on biotechnology found a significant drop in the salience of the GMO issue between 2018 and 2020. The research suggests that misinformation about GMOs is losing its ability to persuade, even on social media.
A study of 500 ultra-Orthodox Israeli adults during the COVID-19 pandemic found that using digital media, especially for essential purposes, increased compliance with government health regulations. Women and older individuals were more likely to follow guidelines.
A study published in PLOS ONE found that US journalists' tweets from the 2016 campaign trail employed more emotive and informal language compared to traditional news articles. This reliance on intuition and past anchoring biases suggests a cognitive bias in word choices.
A study conducted by Singapore Management University found that perceived effectiveness of government messages outweighs the effect of individuals' belief in a dangerous world. Effective communication with informative, personal, and objective message characteristics is key to driving disease prevention behaviors.
A special issue of Criminology & Public Policy examines the effects of the George Floyd protests on the criminal justice system. Studies focus on policy changes, police institutional change, and public attitudes surrounding defunding the police.
The workshop aims to provide tangible techniques for effectively communicating scientific results to general audiences. Researchers conducted surveys to understand the decline in public trust in science, citing insufficient science education and disinformation campaigns as key factors.
Researchers analyzed 60 billion tweets to understand vaccine hesitancy on social media. They found that anti-vaxxer profiles often share links to YouTube videos and commercial sites selling alternative health products, highlighting the spread of misinformation in echo chambers.
Researchers found that smartphone app usage patterns can be used to identify individuals with over 30% accuracy. The study analyzed data from 780 people and showed consistent patterns in application usage behaviors on a day-to-day basis. This highlights the potential risks to privacy when using apps automatically collected by smartphones.
A University of Kansas study analyzed 451 news articles from major publications and found that media worldwide reported on the pandemic as a racial threat, often blaming China or Asia. The study highlights the importance of responsible language in media coverage to avoid perpetuating xenophobia and discrimination.
A recent University of Cincinnati study found that the term 'storyteller' attached to a journalist's bio diminishes public confidence in media. Participants on both sides of the political spectrum associated the term with biased reporting and decreased credibility. Researchers urge journalists to be more mindful of their online presence.
A new study published in the Journal of Politics found that factual corrections on Facebook's news feed can improve users' accuracy in recognizing misinformation. Even when exposed to misinformation, users became more accurate despite freedom to choose what to read, with fact-checks increasing accuracy across partisan lines.
Researchers developed an algorithm that prioritizes reliable news sources based on audience diversity, reducing the spread of misinformation. The new strategy incorporates data on web traffic and self-reported partisanship to promote diverse news sources.
A Boston University School of Public Health professor is providing mortality data and modeling to identify underreported COVID-19 deaths in US counties. The true number of COVID deaths is likely much higher than recorded, with approximately 20% excess deaths occurring at home.
A new study found that news media amplified rather than rectified misleading health information from TV personality Dr. Oz, resulting in the further spread of misinformation. The researchers called for government oversight to lessen the risk of spreading inaccuracies.
A new study found that media coverage of crises increases governments' emergency humanitarian aid allocations, regardless of the crisis's merit. In contrast, annual humanitarian aid budgets are unaffected by news coverage.
Researchers at the Missouri School of Journalism explored how people value digital news, finding that print newspapers moved to digital platforms without understanding the differences between mediums. The study identified eight affordances of digital news readers, including the importance of design elements like color and hyperlinks.
Conspiracy theorists used the conditional nature of science to erode trust in public health authorities' recommendations, making community immunity elusive. The Annenberg Public Policy Center scholar argues that exploiting scientific funding structures and updates fueled conspiracy theories.
A new study by Dr Mathilde Pavis from the University of Exeter Law School proposes reforming performers' rights to include copyright over their performances. This would provide better protection against unauthorized deepfakes and simplify the structure of intellectual property law.
A recent study found that print media have achieved a 90% accuracy rate in covering climate change over the past 15 years, with most outlets presenting factually accurate information. However, conservative media outlets were found to be less accurate in their coverage, highlighting ongoing biases in the industry.
QUT researchers identified external recognition and professional development as crucial strategies for getting shortlisted. Applicants with earned professional recognition or awards were four times more likely to be shortlisted than those without such recognition.
A review and meta-analysis investigated the association between mental health disorders and COVID-19-related death. The study found that patients with pre-existing mental health conditions are at a higher risk of dying from COVID-19.
Four fake Russian Twitter accounts created to spread disinformation during the 2016 US presidential campaign grew rapidly due to retweets from extreme ideological enclaves. Mainstream and hyperpartisan news media inadvertently amplified IRA messaging, contributing to their follower growth.