However, trust in the mainstream media is at an all-time low, with a majority of citizens across the political spectrum believing it publishes a lot of fake news. Traditionally, mainstream media had the role of separating the wheat of truth from the chaff of deception. No wonder that a study showed that most Americans who see fake news believe it. Extensive research in psychology shows that our minds tend to search for and interpret information in ways that align with our previous beliefs, a phenomenon known as “confirmation bias.” In other words, we’ll tend to believe whoever tells us what we want to hear, whether or not what they’re saying is true. Let’s get the myths out of the way: we can’t trust our gut on who is telling the truth. How can we tell apart the ones who spout bald-faced lies from those who actually tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? Fortunately, we now have a science-based tool for telling which politicians are comfortable committing to the truth, and which are not. In these dark days of “fake news” and “alternative facts,” it’s hard to trust any politicians. Caption: Image of US flag with “Vote” written on it ( ZIPNON/Pixabay)
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