No abstract

This study draws on models of motivated news exposure and literature on affordances to examine how devices (i.e., PC or mobile) and paths to exposure (i.e., news homepages, search, or social referrals) relate to people’s behavior on news sites. Using behavioral data from seven local broadcast news sites, we assess how the device used and referral site affect whether people click on links to more news. We experimentally test four components of the presentation of links on news sites: content, labels, location on page, and images. Findings show that accessing news via social media and mobile devices reduces clicks relative to other paths and devices. Further, link presentation matters; for instance, links to Related content yielded more clicks than Popular content for those coming from search or a news homepage on PCs. We advance a conditional explanation of motivated news exposure and identify practical insights for news organizations. Lay Summary The devices people use (PC or mobile) and the paths they take to news (news homepage, search, or social referrals) relate to their behaviors once on a news site. Using data from seven local broadcast news sites, we assess how devices and referral sites affect whether people click on links to more news. We test four components of the presentation of links on news sites: content, labels, location on page, and images. We find that accessing news via social media and mobile devices leads to fewer clicks compared to other pathways to news. We also find that how links are presented matters. For example, the highest click-through rate we observed was when people using a PC and a search engine to visit a news site saw Related links at the end of a page accompanied by images and labeled in a way that appealed to social motivations. These conditional pathways are important for understanding news exposure and can provide practical insights for news organizations.

Fact-checkers want people to both read and remember their misinformation debunks. Retrieval practice is one way to increase memory, thus multiple-choice quizzes may be a useful tool for fact-checkers. We tested whether exposure to quizzes improved people’s accuracy ratings for fact-checked claims and their memory for specific information within a fact check. Across three experiments, 1551 US-based online participants viewed fact checks (either health- or politics-related) with or without a quiz. Overall, the fact checks were effective, and participants were more accurate in rating the claims after exposure. In addition, quizzes improved participants’ memory for the details of the fact checks, even 1 week later. However, that increased memory did not lead to more accurate beliefs. Participants’ accuracy ratings were similar in the quiz and no-quiz conditions. Multiple-choice quizzes can be a useful tool for increasing memory, but there is a disconnect between memory and belief.

The Trump-era political environment in the United States is characterized by changes to our information environment, specifically discourse surrounding so-called "fake news," and knowledge of political scandals. We explore whether news trust or knowledge of Trump administration scandals impact individuals’ levels of internal, information, and external political efficacy. We find significant and surprising relationships between these measures and political efficacy outcomes. Results contribute to our understanding of how political efficacy is responsive to changes in the political environment.