Belief Echoes: The Persistent Effects of Corrected Misinformation

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

414 Scopus citations

Abstract

Across three separate experiments, I find that exposure to negative political information continues to shape attitudes even after the information has been effectively discredited. I call these effects “belief echoes.” Results suggest that belief echoes can be created through an automatic or deliberative process. Belief echoes occur even when the misinformation is corrected immediately, the “gold standard” of journalistic fact-checking. The existence of belief echoes raises ethical concerns about journalists’ and fact-checking organizations’ efforts to publicly correct false claims.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)460-480
Number of pages21
JournalPolitical Communication
Volume33
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2 2016
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • continued influence effect
  • corrections
  • fact-checking
  • misinformation

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Communication
  • Sociology and Political Science

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Belief Echoes: The Persistent Effects of Corrected Misinformation'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this