Conservative News Fans More Likely to Believe COVID-19 Misinformation

A new Kaiser Family Foundation poll shows a correlation between news source and COVID-19 misinformation.

Among those who say they trust Fox News, 36% of respondents believe four or more false statements about COVID-19. An additional 52% believe 1-3 false statements. The numbers were similar for those who trust One America News, with 37% believing four or more falsehoods and an additional 43% believing 1-3 falsehoods. Fans of Newsmax had the highest rate of COVID-19 misinformation belief. Nearly half, 46%, believe four or more false statements and an additional 40% believe 1-3 false statements.

The rate of COVID-19 misinformation belief was lower for those who trust NPR, MSNBC and CNN, but still alarmingly high. Among NPR trusters, for instance, 14% believe four or more false statements and 44% believe 1-3 false statements.

A couple caveats about this data:

  • The poll asks respondents which sources they trust, so it's not a measure of how much they consume these news sources. They could be getting the misinformation from other sources.

  • The poll establishes a correlation but not causation. It can't tell us whether the misinformation comes from watching those news sources or people who believe the misinformation are more likely to say they trust the conservative sources.

To me, the poll is further evidence of a right-wing eco-system, including alternative media, politicians, and advocacy groups, that feeds disinformation campaigns to conservatives to build brand loyalty, which leads to clicks, page views, donations, and votes.

A Couple More Things

1) Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyoming, speaking at the First Amendment Award Event:

Shortly after the impeachment back in January, I got a message from a Gold Star Father and he said to me, “Standing up for truth honors all who gave all.” And I think that is something I will certainly never forget and something that I think we all have to remember every day. This task now falls to us and the question for every one of us, not just for those of us who are elected, but for every one of us, is this: In this time of testing, will we do our duty? Will we do what we must? Will we defend our Constitution? Will we stand for truth? Will we put duty to our oath above partisan politics? Or will we look away from the danger, ignore the threat, embrace the lies and enable the liar? There is no gray area when it comes to that question. When it comes to this moment, there is no middle ground.

Watch the whole thing here.

2) An in-depth report from a Michigan local news station: “Under God, Divisible: Political conflict deepens rift among Christians.”

3) Investigation: "Reuters unmasks Trump supporters who terrified U.S. election officials."

Napp Nazworth