Does truth matter to voters? The effects of correcting political misinformation in an Australian sample.

ABSTRACT: In the 'post-truth era', political fact-checking has become an issue of considerable significance. A recent study in the context of the 2016 US election found that fact-checks of statements by Donald Trump changed participants' beliefs about those statements-regardless of whether participants supported Trump-but not their feelings towards Trump or voting intentions. However, the study balanced corrections of inaccurate statements with an equal number of affirmations of accurate statements. Therefore, the null effect of fact-checks on participants' voting intentions and feelings may have arisen because of this artificially created balance. Moreover, Trump's statements were not contrasted with statements from an opposing politician, and Trump's perceived veracity was not measured. The presen

SUBMITTER: Aird MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6304148 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature