Collecting survey data has become more resource-intensive as response rates have declined. Contemporaneous to the decline in response rates has been a growing distrust in science among the general public in nations such as the United States. The authors suggest that this decline in trust has implications for survey data […] Read more »
Fake news: source ratings and better user interface design help us see deception
Deception has been a long-running problem on the Internet, and it rose to global attention in 2016 with the Brexit referendum and the U.S. presidential election, when “fake news” was deliberately created and spread through social media as part of a disinformation campaign to influence voting. More than 50 per […] Read more »
When Facts Change Opinions: A Discussion With Brendan Nyhan
When consuming the news, people bring their biases with them. However, University of Michigan professor Brendan Nyhan and other scholars have found that facts can — and do — change people’s minds when presented under certain conditions. We discuss his research on how to create a more widely-shared understanding of […] Read more »
As Trump Accuses Iran, He Has One Problem: His Own Credibility
To President Trump, the question of culpability in the explosions that crippled two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman is no question at all. “It’s probably got essentially Iran written all over it,” he declared on Friday. The question is whether the writing is clear to everyone else. For […] Read more »
About three-quarters of Americans favor steps to restrict altered videos and images
The proliferation of altered videos – some of which are known as “deepfakes” – has sparked concern in recent years, particularly as a growing share of Americans now get news from online video-sharing sites such as YouTube. Overall, the U.S. public sees altered videos and images as a major problem […] Read more »
The Reuters Institute’s eighth annual Digital News Report
This year’s report comes against the backdrop of rising populism, political and economic instability, along with intensifying concerns about giant tech companies and their impact on society. News organisations have taken the lead in reporting these trends, but also find themselves challenged by them – further depressing an industry reeling […] Read more »