When Truthiness Trumps Truth: Epistemic Beliefs Predict the Accurate Discernment of Fake News

Abstract

The widespread distribution of mis- and disinformation highlights the need to understand why individuals fall for fake news. Surprisingly, individuals’ very understanding of knowledge and how it is created (epistemic beliefs) has received little attention in this context. We present a model focusing on the role of post-truth epistemic beliefs, their relationship to the Dark Factor of Personality (D), and their mutual association with fake news discernment. Based on a repeated measures experiment (N = 668), we show that individuals who endorse post-truth epistemic beliefs distinguish less between fake news and accurate news (fake news discernment). Further, D was linked to reduced fake news discernment, which is explained by a positive relationship with post-truth epistemic beliefs. Results remained virtually identical when ideology congruent and ideology incongruent news were considered separately. In conclusion, when addressing the global threat of fake news, epistemic beliefs need to be considered.