Credibility as a double-edged sword: the effects of deceptive source misattribution on disinformation discernment on personal messaging

Vaccari, Cristian, Chadwick, Andrew, Hall, Natalie-Anne and Lawson, Brendan 2026. Credibility as a double-edged sword: the effects of deceptive source misattribution on disinformation discernment on personal messaging. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly 103 (1) , pp. 35-64. 10.1177/10776990251350563

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Abstract

Disinformation often features reputable sources to boost false information’s credibility, but does this deceptive source misattribution shape its spread on personal messaging? In a preregistered between-subjects survey experiment on U.K. WhatsApp users (N = 2,580), we showed participants WhatsApp messages containing true or false news attributed to either British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) News or no source. Attribution to BBC News significantly increased message credibility. Importantly, however, participants’ responses to false messages attributed to BBC News were statistically indistinguishable from their responses to true messages. On personal messaging, source credibility can boost the spread of accurate news but can also be used deceptively to propagate falsehoods.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education)
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
ISSN:	1077-6990
Funders:	Leverhulme Trust
Projects:	Everyday Misinformation Project
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	11 July 2025
Date of Acceptance:	25 May 2025
Last Modified:	03 Mar 2026 16:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/179734

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