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There's more to news media skepticism: a path analysis examining news media literacy, news media skepticism and misinformation behaviors.
- Source :
-
Online Information Review . 2024, Vol. 48 Issue 3, p441-456. 16p. - Publication Year :
- 2024
-
Abstract
- Purpose: While much research has examined the effect of media literacy in combatting misinformation, whether and to what extent news media literacy influences misinformation-related behaviors (i.e. misinformation sharing, misinformation correction) and the mediating effect of news media skepticism in the process remain less explored. Moreover, this line of research has extensively focused on a polarized information context (e.g. the USA) with less attention to a context where news information is more regulated and centralized. This paper aims to discuss the aforementioned objective. Design/methodology/approach: The authors conducted a survey study of 720 Chinese adults. Findings: This study reveals that greater new media literacy predicts higher misinformation correction behaviors, but fails to predict caution in sharing misinformation. Findings further demonstrate a nuanced mediating effect of news media skepticism that challenges previous assertions about its protective role. That is, higher news media literacy is associated with lower news media skepticism; lower skepticism is in turn related to lower misinformation sharing and greater misinformation correction. Originality/value: The current study integrates news media literacy and news media skepticism in understanding misinformation-related behaviors. Findings generally speak to the tangible benefits of news media literacy in helping motivate corrective actions among the general public. However, this study also strikes a cautious note that future investigations of news media skepticism would benefit from a cultural perspective. Its connections with perceptions and effects on behaviors could vary according to different types of media and political landscapes. Peer review: The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-04-2023-0172 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 14684527
- Volume :
- 48
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Online Information Review
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 177436753
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-04-2023-0172