Fake news and disinformation are global problems.
Recent research from Newsworks finds that more than half of UK adults that over eight in 10 people in the UK come across fake news in their day-to-day lives, and over half of people (52%) admit they have been deceived by fake news at least once. This underscores the importance of the trust that newspapers and their websites offer.
In Canada, research confirms that newspapers and their websites are the most trusted media for advertising and editorial. And research from 2020 and the SPOT Fake News project reinforces the importance of journalism.
Eight in ten Canadians (81%) agree that reliable journalism is essential to a democratic society.
The SPOT ad campaign shifted attitudes towards news, particularly related to the four steps in the SPOT tool. Post-campaign research confirmed that respondents who saw the ad campaign felt they:
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- Were able to more accurately determine if a news report came from a credible, reputable Source (10% higher than those not exposed to the ads);
- Could identify bias and Perspective (43% higher);
- Were more likely to check multiple Other sources of information (3% higher); and
- Were aware of the Timeliness by checking the date an online news story was first published (41% higher).
Eight out of ten exposed to the ad campaign felt they could distinguish between legitimate news stories and fake news stories (18% higher than those who did not see the campaign).
Publishers can help their readers develop basic media literacy skills with the SPOT Fake News series of ads available for download here.
