The Prevalence, Consequence, and Remedy of Misinformation in Mass Media Systems

TLDR

Debates over what constitutes fact versus fiction have long animated communication scholarship, and media content—whether from journalists, political consultants, marketers, or PR professionals—frequently misleads audiences by disseminating information that regulators and watchdogs deem inconsistent with officially endorsed facts. The study investigates misinformation’s prevalence, consequences, and potential remedies. Kampf and Daskal (2014) report that journalists face an unavoidable risk of error in their work.

Abstract

Important debates as to what should count as either fact or fiction have long animated communication scholarship (for example, see Strange and Katz (1998)) and yet we nonetheless can argue reasonably that media content can mislead audiences and that such deception, whether inadvertent or intentional, is common. Describing the working lives of journalists, Kampf and Daskal (2014) have written that "… the peril of being wrong is unavoidable" (p. 165). Political consultants, marketers, and public relations professionals clearly face a similar danger in their work, and at times may even be tempted to knowingly promote such information. Communication professionals routinely broadcast and promote information that third-party observers in regulatory agencies or watchdog groups deem to be at odds with officially endorsed facts. Such misinformation warrants study not only in terms of its prevalence but also in terms of its consequence and potential remedies.