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Credibility as a Double-Edged Sword: The Effects of Deceptive Source Misattribution on Disinformation Discernment on Personal Messaging

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Disinformation often features reputable sources to boost false information’s credibility, but does this deceptive source misattribution shape its spread on personal messaging? In a preregistered between-subjects survey experiment on U.K. WhatsApp users ( N = 2,580), we showed participants WhatsApp messages containing true or false news attributed to either British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) News or no source. Attribution to BBC News significantly increased message credibility. Importantly, however, participants’ responses to false messages attributed to BBC News were statistically indistinguishable from their responses to true messages. On personal messaging, source credibility can boost the spread of accurate news but can also be used deceptively to propagate falsehoods.

Source: Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly

DOI: 10.1177/10776990251350563

Authors: Cristian Vaccari, Andrew Chadwick, Natalie-Anne Hall, Brendan Lawson

Institutions: University of Edinburgh, Loughborough University, Cardiff University

Language: English

Topic: Misinformation and Its Impacts

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,900

Funder: Leverhulme Trust