The Hidden Power of Repetition: How Climate Misinformation Gains Ground

[sl8]

https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/2024/08/12/media-news-the-hidden-power-of-repetition-how-climate-misinformation-gains-ground/

The Hidden Power of Repetition: How Climate Misinformation Gains Ground

TOPICS: Climate Change Least Biased Media News
POSTED BY: MEDIA BIAS FACT CHECK

Even staunch supporters of climate science may be more susceptible to misinformation than they realize, according to new research. The Conversation reported on a new study that highlights the illusory truth effect, where repeated exposure to a claim, even once, can make it seem more believable—regardless of its accuracy. This effect can erode public support for climate action, as false information gains credibility through repetition.

The research, involving 172 participants who overwhelmingly endorsed climate science, found that repeated exposure to both accurate and skeptical claims made them appear more truthful. This vulnerability exists even among those who strongly believe in human-caused climate change.

The study demonstrates the challenges posed by traditional media’s commitment to balanced reporting, which can unintentionally amplify misinformation by giving equal weight to false claims. To combat this, the research suggests reinforcing the scientific consensus on climate change as a defense against the negative effects of repeated misinformation. With the information landscape increasingly influenced by AI-driven content, understanding how to counteract these effects is more crucial than ever.

See also:

Repetition increases belief in climate-skeptical claims, even for climate science endorsers
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0307294

[Walleye]

1. Really tiresome. They pretend they don't know the difference between climate and weather. We know they do they lie.

[underpants]

2. The constant citing of an article on page 64 of the April 28 1975 edition of Newsweek

Newsweek Rewind: Debunking Global Cooling

These quant tidbits come from a short article penned by (Peter) Gwynne and printed on Page 64 of Newsweek'sApril 28, 1975, issue. Titled "The Cooling World," it argued that global temperatures were falling—and terrible consequences for food production were on the horizon.

The story, and others like it, has been cited by people who like to challenge current climate science and global warming. In 2009, for example, George Will referenced it in an opinion piece in The Washington Post, incorrectly describing it as a cover story, and using global cooling as an example of a global disaster that didn't happen (and implying that global warming is also on that list).

Former Newsweek Editor Jon Meacham wrote a note in the beginning of the magazine that week that began by referencing Gwynne's story from 1975. He called it "probably the most-cited single-page story in our history."

https://www.newsweek.com/newsweek-rewind-debunking-global-cooling-252326

Climate Change Mea Non Culpa
In 1975, I wrote an article for Newsweek about “global cooling.” Climate change deniers have been using it ever since.

BY PETER GWYNNE

Nevertheless, certain websites and individuals that dispute, disparage, and deny the science that shows that humans are causing the Earth to warm continue to quote my article. Their message: How can we believe climatologists who tell us that the Earth’s atmosphere is warming when their colleagues asserted that it’s actually cooling?


And on the climate front? The vast majority of climatologists now assure us that Earth’s atmosphere is not cooling. Rather it’s warming up. And the main responsibility for the phenomenon lies with human activity.

“There’s no serious dispute any more about whether the globe is warming, whether humans are responsible, and whether we will see large and dangerous changes in the future—in the words of the National Academy of Sciences—which we didn’t know in the 1970s,” said Michael Mann, a climatologist at Pennsylvania State University in University Park. He added that nearly every U.S. scientific society has assessed the evidence and come to the same conclusion.

https://slate.com/technology/2014/12/1975-newsweek-article-on-global-cooling-how-climate-change-deniers-use-my-old-piece.html

[sl8]

3. Thanks for that. nt

[underpants]

4. Honestly I thought it was the cover story

I guess I’d seen fake covers.
This is another one that I wasn’t aware of. Basically the same thing.

From Snopes

Did a 1977 'Time' Story Offer Tips on 'How to Survive the Coming Ice Age'?
While a number of media outlets reported on some briefly-lived scientific fears over global cooling in the 1970s, viral images purporting to show a cover story on the topic are doctored.

'Time' ran a cover story titled "How to Survive the Coming Ice Age" in 1977.
Rating: FALSE ❌




As noted by Time itself in 2013, the 2006 image on the right is an authentic cover, but the 1977 image is a doctored version of an 9 April 2007 issue which actually featured an article titled “The Global Warming Survival Guide”:

[sl8]

5. Good one, thanks.

It's pretty tough to stay ahead of all the misinformation, but posts like this help.

It's almost as if people prefer instant misinformation over facts which might take just a tad longer to find.

[Think. Again.]

6. K&R