The Effect of False Balance Reporting on Misperceptions of Voter Fraud

• In Event: Journalistic Norms and Practices

Abstract

Do hard corrections reduce misperceptions about voter fraud more than false balance style reporting? Existing empirical evidence is mixed, and few studies examine politically salient divisive issues that fall along party lines. In this study, we examine the effect of explicit factual corrections relative to false balance reporting on perceptions of voter fraud in US elections. We find that hard corrections do indeed reduce misperceptions about voter fraud more than false balance style reporting, though false balance reporting does also reduce misperceptions about voter fraud relative to one-sided reporting. We find that the effect does not vary by media outlet--except for those who mainly view CNN or Fox News--nor does the size of the effect differ significantly between Republicans and Democrats. We also find that hard corrections reduce doubts about the legitimacy of US elections due to voter fraud relative to false balance reporting, and that they reduce support for voter id laws among all respondents in the pre-election period. However, we find evidence of a backfire effect among high knowledge Republican respondents.

Authors

• Matthew Jenkins, Gyeongsang National University

• Daniel M Gomez, University of California Santa Barbara