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Who Shared It?: Deciding What News to Trust on Social Media

Abstract Social media platforms are becoming increasingly popular news sources. They differ from traditional media as people are exposed to stories from a variety of people and outlets, including potential fake news stories. This raises a key question: What leads people to trust news on social media? Research indicates two cues that could impact opinions of news on social media: (1) the trustworthiness of the person who shares a story; (2) the credibility of the news outlet reporting the story. This study tests those factors simultaneously with a recent survey experiment of American adults that simulates social media posts by either a trusted or untrusted public figure and directs respondents to an article manipulated to come from either a reputable news source or a fake news source. The findings highlight the impact elites sharing a story has on views toward an article on social media compared with the effects of the news outlet reporting the story. The study has significant implications for researchers, citizens, and publishers trying to understand how people evaluate the trustworthiness of news on social media and the potential impact of fake news.