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Fact checking politicians gets results

By Guest PostOctober 26, 2013Politicsamerican politicians, behaviour, brendan nyhan, dartmouth college, democratic accountability, fact checking politicians, factcheck, jason reifler, politicians in us, politifact, state legislators, university of exeter

New research indicates that American politicians are affected by the practice of fact-checking, thereby reducing the risk of misinformation and strengthening democratic accountability.

Fact-checkers such as PolitiFact and Factcheck.org scrutinise politicians in the US by examining the public statements given to and reported by news organisations.

This practice is born out of concern that traditional media rarely evaluates the accuracy of the politicians statements, resulting in political figures being frequently allowed to make misleading comments in the press without challenge. (more…)

Web Use Doesn’t Encourage Belief in Poltical Rumors, But E-mail Does

By Guest PostMarch 9, 2011Culture, Politics, Technologyalaska, Barack Obama, e mail, Facebook, factcheck, harmful consequences, internet communication, kelly garrett, mayor, mccain-palin, muslim, obama-biden, online sources, political information, political rumors, presidential election, rumor-mongering, Sarah Palin, telephone survey, Twitter, use of the internet, vicious feedback loop, wasilla

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Despite the fears of some, a new study suggests that use of the internet in general does not make people more likely to believe political rumors.

However, one form of internet communication – e-mail – does seem to have troubling consequences for the spread and belief of rumors.

“I think a lot of people will be surprised to learn that using the internet doesn’t necessarily promote belief in rumors. Many people seem to think that’s self-evident,” said R. Kelly Garrett, author of the study and assistant professor of communication at Ohio State University. (more…)

Learning the Truth not Effective in Battling Rumors About NYC Mosque, Study Finds

By Guest PostOctober 28, 2010Culture, Politicsamericans, annenberg public policy center, arab, erik nisbet, factcheck, feisal abdul rauf, ground zero, imam, islamic cultural center, middle east, mosque, new york city, ohio state university, r kelly garrett, rumors, terrorism, united states

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Evidence is no match against the belief in false rumors concerning the proposed Islamic cultural center and mosque near Ground Zero in New York City, a new study finds.

Researchers at Ohio State University found that fewer than one-third of people who had previously heard and believed one of the many rumors about the proposed center changed their minds after reading overwhelming evidence rejecting the rumor.

The false rumor that researchers used in the study was that Feisal Abdul Rauf, the Imam backing the proposed Islamic cultural center and mosque, is a terrorist sympathizer who has refused to condemn Islamic attacks on civilians. (more…)

Tag Archives: factcheck

Fact checking politicians gets results

Web Use Doesn’t Encourage Belief in Poltical Rumors, But E-mail Does

Learning the Truth not Effective in Battling Rumors About NYC Mosque, Study Finds