Fake news

As elections approach, the likelihood of encountering fake news increases. According to a study mentioned in NiemanLab’s (niemanlab.org) February newsletter, 3 out of 4 U.S. adults are able to distinguish real political news headlines from fake ones.

The research, conducted by Charles Angelucci, a lecturer in applied economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Andrea Prat, a professor of economics at Columbia University, was carried out between June 2019 and March 2022 on a group of approximately 8,000 participants representing the national population. Journalists working for various news organizations were asked to prepare fake news, and these stories were shown to participants alongside real news.

For example, when asked: Which headline is the title of a real news story? the following two options were presented:

(A) “Zelenskyy pleads with U.S. Congress: ‘We need you right now.’”

(B) “Biden signs law mandating climate change curriculum in all elementary and middle schools.”

The majority successfully identified the headline in option A as the correct one.

In their study, Angelucci and Prat note that while fake news is often blamed for influencing election results, the research findings are not definitive on this matter. They found that, on average, participants were able to select real headlines 75% of the time. Furthermore, they determined that demographic factors are more effective in preventing fake news; for instance, younger and less educated individuals were less successful in selecting real headlines compared to older individuals with higher levels of education.

It was observed that those who are more politically engaged and more likely to vote, as well as those who are older and have a university education, were more likely to select the correct news headline.

According to the study, white, university-educated men under 52 with relatively high incomes emerged as the group most likely (89%) to select the correct answer when faced with one real and one fake headline. Women under 52 with lower income and education levels, and who belong to ethnic or racial minorities, were the group least likely to select the correct headline at 71%. Nevertheless, despite the significant differences between groups, even those more likely to select the fake headline proved quite successful in selecting the correct one.

The study also includes a finding regarding social media: Angelucci notes that social media complicates the tendency to find the correct headline at a high rate because, he says, “people who go on social media tend to be less informed than the general population.”

This research shows that having a higher level of education, age, and income, as well as being interested in politics, increases the likelihood that people can detect accurate news. Gender and ethnicity also emerged as significant factors.

So, what is the situation for us? Factors such as our young population, the fact that our general quality of education is not at a sufficient level by world standards, and the low income levels due to economic hardships suggest that our success in detecting fake news may not be very high. Especially among the youth, interest in social media is increasing while interest in politics is decreasing. These issues need to be investigated through scientific studies. Because fake news has become a very important factor that can determine the fate of a country.