Fake news sharing and correction driven by COVID-19 prosociality

The pandemic provides a unique research context for examining prosocial responses manifested through information behaviours towards false information. The present study aims to investigate the influencing mechanisms of prosociality towards fake news correction under the COVID-19 settings. We investigated the mediating links between individual’s personal participation with sharing fake news, the emerged awareness of fake news prevalence and the subsequent protective intent to counteract fake news as illustrated in an experience–awareness–coping model. The proposed sequential mediation model is tested with survey data (N = 1219) of Hong Kong residents collected during a major wave of COVID-19 Omicron variant. Results show that the paths from prosociality to correcting fake news are mediated by sharing and awareness of fake news. The act of correction may be seen as a coping strategy prompted by a heightened awareness of a worsening news environment that threatens the public’s well-being. These results have significant theoretical and practical implications and can inform solutions for incorporating prosocial values in effectively engaging the public to debunk fake news.