A common refrain among populists around the world is that the mainstream media cannot be trusted to deliver accurate and reliable information.  Of course, there is a strong sense that this is just a line taken by grifters who try to present themselves as the true source of the truth.  Nonetheless, research from the University of Michigan reaffirms the generally positive role the media plays in delivering reliable information on vaccines and other Covid-related matters.

The study, which was conducted across the United States, Singapore, and Turkey, found that people had the most accurate information when they relied more on the mainstream news.  By contrast, when they got most of their news from social media or alternative sources, they were more likely to have various false health-related beliefs.

The findings emerged after over 3,600 volunteers shared their beliefs on issues such as vaccination, GM food, and alternative medicines.  They were also quizzed on their usual sources of information and the mix of mainstream and alternative media they consumed.

“These findings also show that extensive reliance on social media and alternative health media for news mostly overwhelms the individual differences in predicting misinformation belief,” the researchers explain.

Accessing information

The researchers also explored how various different thinking styles can either support or suppress any link between the media consume and the level of misinformation we hold.

The findings suggest that those most susceptible to misinformation tend to place most emphasis on their own intuition whenever they encounter new information.  What’s more, they seem to prefer to try and make sense of this new information in very elaborate and structured ways.

“This emergent pattern underscores the possibility that institutional news sources could better protect from the spread of misinformation than social media, perhaps because of editorial gatekeeping differences across news, social and alternative media,” the researchers conclude.