The public struggles to distinguish ‘facts’ from ‘opinions’ in the news

A new U.S.-based research survey by the Pew Research Center shows that many members of the public struggle to differentiate between factual and opinion statements.

Some of the key findings include: Republicans and Democrats are more likely to think news statements are factual when they appeal to their ‘side’ – even if they are opinions.

One way to help keep the lines more clear: news brand labels were found to have had a modest impact on helping differentiate factual statements from opinions.

You can read the full brief of the research results here.