A quick video can reduce the spread of fake news: Unspun Journal Club 4

Can we stop misinformation before it spreads?

In this episode of UnSpun Journal Club, I break down a real-world Instagram field study on “prebunking” — a strategy that teaches people to recognize manipulation tactics before they encounter viral misinformation.

Instead of fact-checking after the damage is done, researchers tested whether a short 19-second video about emotional manipulation could strengthen people’s ability to detect misleading content in their feeds.

The results? It did -- and the effect lasted five months.

We explore:

• How prebunking differs from debunking
• Why misinformation spreads faster than fact checks
• How this can help even with free speech concerns
• How the audience can help each other

It's not censorship. It’s ognitive defense.

If you care about media literacy, journalism research, and practical strategies for navigating misinformation, this episode is for you.

Find the full paper here: https://misinforeview.hks.harvard.edu/article/prebunking-misinformation-techniques-in-social-media-feeds-results-from-an-instagram-field-study/

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