TY - JOUR
T1 - The impact of conspiracy endorsement on evaluations of news fakeness: An experimental study in Hong Kong
AU - Tsang, Stephanie Jean
AU - Li, Dongni
N1 - This work was supported by HKBU Fact Check, School of Communication, Hong Kong Baptist University; Communication Faculty Research Grant, School of Communication, Hong Kong Baptist University: [grant number Ref. CFRG 18-19/03].
Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2025/6/5
Y1 - 2025/6/5
N2 - Conspiracy theories can rapidly gain traction in the digital environment, influencing public perceptions and discourse. This study investigates how conspiracy endorsement affects individuals’ evaluations of news authenticity, particularly concerning news source and news slant. Experimental data from 654 participants in Hong Kong was used, employing a 3 (news source: pro-government, neutral, anti-government) x 2 (conspiracy endorsement: low, high) and a 3 (news slant: anti-violence, balanced, pro-violence) x 2 (conspiracy endorsement: low, high) design. The findings reveal that individuals who endorse to conspiracy theories are inclined to assess news authenticity in a manner that aligns with their pre-existing beliefs, exhibiting biased evaluation based on the news source and slant. These results suggest that conspiracy endorsement, often aligning with ideological divisions, significantly increases susceptibility to misinformation and has the potential to intensify political polarization. Addressing the influence of conspiracy beliefs is crucial for mitigating their impact on societal divisions.
AB - Conspiracy theories can rapidly gain traction in the digital environment, influencing public perceptions and discourse. This study investigates how conspiracy endorsement affects individuals’ evaluations of news authenticity, particularly concerning news source and news slant. Experimental data from 654 participants in Hong Kong was used, employing a 3 (news source: pro-government, neutral, anti-government) x 2 (conspiracy endorsement: low, high) and a 3 (news slant: anti-violence, balanced, pro-violence) x 2 (conspiracy endorsement: low, high) design. The findings reveal that individuals who endorse to conspiracy theories are inclined to assess news authenticity in a manner that aligns with their pre-existing beliefs, exhibiting biased evaluation based on the news source and slant. These results suggest that conspiracy endorsement, often aligning with ideological divisions, significantly increases susceptibility to misinformation and has the potential to intensify political polarization. Addressing the influence of conspiracy beliefs is crucial for mitigating their impact on societal divisions.
KW - Conspiracy endorsement
KW - conspiracy theories
KW - Hong Kong
KW - motivated reasoning
KW - news fakeness
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105007524270&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/01292986.2025.2515056
DO - 10.1080/01292986.2025.2515056
M3 - Journal article
SN - 0129-2986
JO - Asian Journal of Communication
JF - Asian Journal of Communication
ER -
