Gatekeeping in the era of fake news: The effects of trust on online news consumption behavior

Today, many people obtain their news from a wide range and diversity of online gatekeepers, ranging from professional journalists to friends and strangers on social media. This has raised strong concerns regarding how people decide which gatekeepers to trust. Yet, while there has been much attention for reports about the state of trust in news, we know little about how trust actually affects news consumption behavior. In this project, funded by an NWO VENI grant, I will combine panel surveys with digital footprint data to analyze the effects of trust on news selection, news sharing on social media, and whether trust moderates media effects.

Funding source:

Team:
Kasper Welbers