Do information disputes work: the effect of perceived risk, news disputes and credibility on consumer attitudes and trust toward biotechnology companies
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines a controversial issue (biotechnology) and how news disputes about misinformation related to the issue impacts individuals' attitudes toward a biotechnology company and their trust in the media source.
Design/methodology/approach
This study conducts a 2 (risk: low vs. high) x 2 (pre-existing attitude: anti gene-editing technology vs. pro gene-editing technology) x 2 (dispute message: absent vs. present) x 2 (media source: Buzzfeed vs NYT) factorial online experiment using a Qualtrics panel (N = 1,080) to examine the impact on individuals' attitudes toward a biotechnology company and trust in the media source.
Findings
Results indicate that dispute messages enhance attitudes toward the company but decrease trust in media sources. Interaction effects between pre-existing attitude and the dispute message, along with perceived risk and the dispute message, illustrate stark differences in how individuals with favorable vs. unfavorable pre-existing attitudes assessed the company after viewing the dispute message.
Originality/value
This study applies arguments from extant literature about prebunking and debunking misinformation. Specifically, this study investigates how dispute messages, a form of debunking through source derogation, actually impact individuals' perceptions of media credibility and/or their attitudes about the content they are reading. The study findings also reveal new insights regarding the interaction between pre-existing attitudes and perceived risk, as well as how dispute messages interact with each of the aforementioned factors.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This project was supported by a Page Legacy Scholar Grant from the Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication at the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications at The Pennsylvania State University. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do no necessarily reflect the views of Penn State.
Since submission of this article, the following author has updated their affiliation: Fan Yang is at the Zimmerman School of Advertising and Mass Communications, University of South Florida.
Citation
Overton, H.K. and Yang, F. (2023), "Do information disputes work: the effect of perceived risk, news disputes and credibility on consumer attitudes and trust toward biotechnology companies", Journal of Communication Management, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCOM-04-2023-0043
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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