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How 'doing your own research' can confirm fake news

A new study has found that when you ‘do your own research’ using search engines like Google, you are more likely to have conspiracy theories, disinformation or fake news confirmed by your results.

Host Scott Tong speaks to Kevin Aslett an assistant professor at the University of Central Florida in the School of Politics, Security and International Affairs, who co-authored the report. They also talk about how this issue with ‘doing your own research’ biases towards right-wing conspiracy theories and the part it may have played in the narrative of the Jan. 6 attempted insurrection, before and after that fateful day.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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