Facts Correct on Compared Claims

While some studies have shown that the effects of corrections on downstream attitudes and behaviors range from small [4] to nonexistent [3], others have detected larger effects [5]. Whether the accuracy increases that corrections generate endure after exposure is also a subject of some debate; some studies find evidence of persistence [5], while others do not [6]. And while the available evidence indicates that very few consumers of misinformation subsequently consume corrective information [7], a dearth of studies that use individual-level web browsing behavior precludes us from drawing generalizable conclusions about the relationship between exposure to misinformation and corrections. Below, we synthesize the evidence on these and other leading concerns about factual corrections, distinguishing concerns that receive robust empirical support from those that do not.

On the other hand, reactive interventions respond to misinformation after it has been encountered. Fact-checking verifies specific claims and provides corrections after misinformation has been spread, while debunking directly addresses and refutes false information.

Are conspiracy theories and misinformation seen as more fact-like, more opinion-like, or a mixture of the two, as other ideological claims appear to be (Heiphetz et al., 2013, 2014, 2017)? The distinction may have implications for strategies to address mistaken beliefs; fact-checking has been shown to be a somewhat successful strategy for correcting specific mistaken factual beliefs (Wood and Porter, 2019), though less impactful in changing people's broader ideological positions (Nyhan et al., 2019).

All the factual statements used in the study were true, to keep the results more consistent, but respondents didn't know that. An opinion statement, in contrast, is based on values and beliefs of the speaker, and can't be either proven or disproven.

An objective claim is a statement about a factual matter-one that can be proved true or false. For factual matters there exist widely recognized criteria and methods to determine whether a claim is true or false. A subjective claim, on the other hand, is not a factual matter; it is an expression ...

Statements of fact can be proved or disproved with objective evidence, whereas statements of opinion depend on personal values and preferences. Distinguishing between these types of statements contributes to information competence.

Loaded Language: These are words with strong emotional connotations used to evoke a certain feeling and cloud judgment. Instead of neutral terms, sources might use words like "catastrophic" instead of "bad" or "heroic" instead of "competent."

(Ex.: "World War II ended in 1945.") The truth of the fact is beyond argument if one can assume that measuring devices or records or memories are correct. Facts provide crucial support for the assertion of an argument. However, facts by themselves are worthless unless we put them in context, draw conclusions, and, thus, give them meaning. An opinion is a judgment based on facts, an honest attempt to draw a reasonable conclusion from factual evidence.

the act of establishing or testing the truth or correctness of a fact, theory, statement, etc., by means of special investigation or comparison of data ×Close definition · an application of the technique of verification, used to determine if a statement is factual; can also be viewed as an ideological pillar within a discipline ×Close definition