Weeding out false information in disasters and emergencies: information recipients’ competency

ABSTRACT

This study investigates what competency matters for citizens’ identification of false information in disasters and emergencies. False information, produced and disseminated via media, can generate social confusion and lead to an inadequate response during disasters and emergencies. Considering that the current media environment requires information recipients to have a certain degree of competency to judge the trustworthiness of information, the existing literature does not provide a systematic understanding of what constitutes individuals’ ability to identify false information related to disasters and emergencies. Using a national survey of public access to false information related to a disaster and an emergency, this study examines the effects of media channel use, digital literacy, social participation, and trust in government on the ability to identify false information during disasters and emergencies. The findings suggest public authorities or emergency managers could better provide consistent and accurate information in a way that requires less digital literacy and further improves the public’s confidence in government regarding the exchange of risk information with the public.

KEYWORDS:

• False information
• fake news
• risk communication
• information recipients

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Korea Institute of Public Administration [KIPA 2019-18].

Notes on contributors

KyungWoo Kim

KyungWoo Kim is an associate research fellow in the Division of Disaster and Safety Research at the Korea Institute of Public Administration. He earned a PhD from the University of North Texas. His research focuses on interorganizational collaboration, emergency management, and policy change. He conducted a quick response project to investigate the pattern of interagency communication and the effectiveness of communication strategies in response to South Korea’s Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) outbreak.

Hyeon-Suk Lyu

Hyeon-Suk Lyu earned her PhD in public policy from the University of Manchester in the UK in 2007 and has been a Senior Research Fellow in the Division of Disaster and Safety Research at the Korea Institute of Public Administration since 2007. Her research interests include the impact of the advancement of Information and Communication Technologies on society, disaster management and risk communication, and civil society’s participation in policy making.

Do Young Gong

Do Young Gong is a PhD student in the Department of Political Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She received her BA in English Language and Literature and Political Science and an MA in Political Science from Ewha Womans University. Her research interests include intrastate violence, interstate conflicts, and authoritarianism.