Restoring trust in truth-seekers: Effects of op/eds defending journalism and justice

Raymond J Pingree, Martina Santia, Kirill Bryanov and Brian K Watson

PLOS ONE, 2021, vol. 16, issue 5, 1-15

Abstract: A healthy democracy requires trust that people can be impartial in important truth-seeking institutions including journalism, justice, and science. Recently some U.S. elites have adopted alarmingly extreme rhetoric against truth-seekers, denouncing mainstream journalism as fake news, criminal investigations as partisan witch-hunts, climate science as a hoax, and career civil servants as a deep state conspiracy. In response, some news organizations have taken the unusual step of publishing op/eds defending these institutions. Two experiments tested effects of such op/eds. In study 1, participants spent twelve days using a purpose-built news portal containing real, timely news with random assignment to the availability of real, timely op/eds defending impartiality of truth-seekers. These op/eds increased trust in truth-seeking institutions and increased the belief that people can serve as impartial professionals. Study 2 replicated this with a laboratory experiment assigning video op/ed exposure instead of text op/ed availability while adding several outcomes.

Date: 2021
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:plo:pone00:0251284

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0251284

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