International
People who spread 'fake news' on X/Twitter may also share mainstream news articles from outlets such as the New York Times and the Washington Post to enhance the credibility and reach of their claims, according to US research. The study looked at people on X/Twitter who share information from unreliable sources and then looked at the information from reliable sources that those users also share. They found that these people are more likely to share articles from mainstream sources that fit their narrative, suggesting that they strategically repurpose mainstream news to develop and spread potentially misleading narratives on social media. The researchers say this has implications for journalism and that the media should consider the broader claims that information in a news story could be used to support, especially when it comes to the headlines.
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