Political Rumors: Why We Accept Misinformation and How to Fight It

by Adam J. Berinsky Narrated by Tom Campbell

Overview

Political rumors and misinformation pollute the political landscape. This is not a recent phenomenon; before the currently rampant and unfounded rumors about a stolen election and vote-rigging, there were other rumors that continued to spread even after they were thoroughly debunked, including doubts about 9/11 (an "inside job") and the furor over President Obama's birthplace and birth certificate. If misinformation crowds out the truth, how can Americans communicate with one another about important issues? In this book, Adam Berinsky examines why political rumors exist and persist despite their unsubstantiated and refuted claims, who is most likely to believe them, and how to combat them.



Drawing on original survey and experimental data, Berinsky shows that a tendency toward conspiratorial thinking and vehement partisan attachment fuel belief in rumors. Berinsky argues that in fighting misinformation, it is as important to target the undecided and the uncertain as it is the true believers. In a world where most people don't pay attention to politics, political leaders are often guilty of disseminating false information-and failing to correct it when it is proven wrong. Berinsky suggests that we should focus on the messenger as much as the message. Just as important as how misinformation is debunked is who does the debunking.

Editorial Reviews

Choice

"A thought-provoking journey through the intricate world of political rumors. . . . Invaluable for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of both misinformation and the complex scholarly conversation surrounding the topic."

From the Publisher

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year

Library Journal

07/21/2023

Berinsky's (political science, MIT; In Time of War) book encapsulates years of research on political rumor, which he defines as "an unsupported claim, often with conspiratorial edge." The life cycle of a rumor is visually explained with a concentric image that includes creators at the center, expanding out to believers, the uncertain, and disbelievers. The book indicates that the creation of political rumors runs along partisan lines, with Republicans reportedly creating more rumors than Democrats. The book's data is sound, and Berinsky's dissertation-style narrative abounds with charts and graphs that extrapolate the evidence, but the examples are more than a decade old: Obama's birth certificate, the Affordable Care Act, weapons of mass destruction, and John Kerry's war service record, for example. Even the chapters on Trump focus on information collected before the 2016 primary. VERDICT The cursory mentions of COVID and social media as a purveyor of misinformation aren't enough to keep this text relevant. Only for those interested in the archaeological roots of misinformation.—Tina Panik

Kirkus Reviews

2023-05-01
A quantitative assessment of political rumors in the U.S. and proposals to manage them.

Berinsky, founding director of the MIT Political Experiments Research Lab, delves into the transmission of and widespread belief in political claims that are both unsupported and tinged with “a conspiratorial edge.” QAnon conspiracies, Trump’s mantra of a stolen presidential election, and the claim that Obama’s health policy includes “death panels” are only the most pernicious. For centuries, political discourse has entailed bending, breaking, and suppressing the truth in order to shape perceptions and attract constituents. Indeed, political rumors are “nothing new in the American experience.” Drawing on public opinion surveys, Berinsky finds that rumors are “the toxic marriage of political beliefs and conspiratorial orientation.” They thrive on repetition and ripple outward from creators to believers to the uncertain and to disbelievers. Though both Republicans and Democrats trade in rumors, “more rumors are in circulation on the right than there are on the left,” and Republicans are less assertive in their denials. Although people who are more politically engaged and informed are “more likely to reject rumors of all partisan stripes,” the effects of fact-checking, a widely adopted prescription, are limited and temporary. “Lies, false narratives, and ‘alternative facts’ can...taint faith in the political system,” Berinsky warns, and he proposes a medley of responses, of mixed quality. At the top of his list is mobilizing “the power of unlikely sources”—i.e., individuals who might be damaged by speaking against the rumor. He also suggests regulating the information ecosystem (particularly online media), pressuring political elites who fail to denounce rumors, and inoculating the public through education in critical thinking skills. His conclusion: “It may be easier to make a rumor stronger than it is to make [it] go away.”

A carefully considered, largely pessimistic dive into the academic research on toxic political misinformation.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940159263179
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	11/14/2023
Edition description:	Unabridged

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