The Objectivity Dilemma in Delivering Facts: Coverage Balance and Credibility

• In Event: Countering Misinformation through Fact Checking

Abstract

In response to rising concerns about misinformation, media organizations and scientific communities strive to correct misleading political claims. Yet people do not always find these sources credible, which undercuts their purpose. This study examines how evidence-based reporting on both sides of political controversies may undermine credibility when there exist partisan imbalances in who produces misleading claims.

To achieve objectivity, journalists often try to cover both sides of contentious debates. However, this type of “balanced” reporting may not adequately represent evidence and rather fuel misperceptions. Recently, the concept of objective reporting has increasingly given way to a more interpretive style in which reporters interpret contexts and weigh in on one side when the other lacks evidence. Using archival data of fact-checking coverage and two preregistered experiments, I show that the interpretive approach faces an “objectivity dilemma”: While asymmetric coverage (e.g., when most headlines correct Republican claims) may reflect genuine imbalances in the prevalence of misinformation, the results show that it undermines perceived credibility of the news source.

In particular, asymmetric coverage undermines perceived source credibility no matter which party is challenged more often. When a media organization corrects one’s own party more often (i.e., “uncongenial asymmetry”), the results defy conventional belief that Republicans are less tolerant of opposing views. Instead, the results suggest that Democrats assess the source more negatively than Republicans. Surprisingly, even when the coverage disproportionately challenges the opposite party (“congenial asymmetry”), it also harms source credibility perceptions, especially when in-group is challenged on polarized topics. Overall, this study demonstrates that balanced coverage of political parties builds credibility in evidence-based news sources, which poses a dilemma when the reality presents an uneven distribution of partisan misinformation.

Author

• Hwayong Shin, Dartmouth College