Examining the Democratic Potential of Data Journalism in Curing Misinformation

ABSTRACT

The unprecedented rise of misinformation and its sociopolitical consequences are increasingly setting the research agenda for social science scholarship. Through examining the effectiveness of data journalism in debunking misinformation, the present study engages with the burgeoning discussions on how to develop countermeasures to mitigate the negative influences of misleading information dissemination. By selecting a widely held political misinformation case from the Chinese context-the "Military World Games and the origin of Covid-19"-and conducting online experiment (N=317) the results of this study prove the perceived objectivity and credibility of data journalism, and its persuasive power to rebut misinformation, particularly for those with moderate-level prior misinformation beliefs. Building on these insights, this study contributes to an investigation of data journalism's democratic potential to correct problematic information-an urgent task in the face of the "infodemic" threat worldwide.