People share ideas because they are either interesting or true, and Sam Atis argues that it’s unlikely for an idea to be both. He cites the idea that COVID-19 vaccination rates in Ohio saw a significant increase thanks to the state’s vaccine lotteries. The reasoning was that anti-vaxxers tend to overestimate the probability of highly unlikely events (like winning lotteries) happening. But interesting as this idea was, the research said otherwise; a paper revealed that Ohio didn’t see increased numbers of COVID-19 vaccinations due to the vaccine lotteries. Read full article here
Research
Improving media literacy could boost trust towards the news, IMPRESS report suggests
The UK media is regulated by the likes of IPSO and Ofcom. The report by press regulator IMPRESS highlights the link between low levels of media literacy and trust in the news. The study found that three quarters of those who did not know if journalists were regulated did not trust the news. It suggests that improving media literacy is one way to stem the erosion of trust, and shows that audiences have an appetite for information on news processes. Stakeholders need to collaborate in order to rebuild trust in the news, and independent media is well placed to do this. Read full article here
Merv
February 1, 2023
