No. 59 - Hillel Nossek: Who is afraid of fake news? Public attitudes on questions concerning the sources, distribution, and impact of fake news in Israel
Abstract
This article analyzes public attitudes in Israel toward the definition, sources, distribution, and perceived impact of fake news. It draws on an online survey of 502 respondents aged 15 and above conducted during the March 2019 election campaign. The findings indicate that a majority adopts a definition aligned with academic consensus, viewing fake news as news-like content that presents false information with the intent to mislead for political or economic gain. Social networks are identified as the main channels of dissemination, while traditional media and personal networks are regarded as more trustworthy sources of information. A central result is the confirmation of the third-person effect: only 21% of respondents believe their own voting behavior could be influenced by fake news, whereas 49% assume that others are more susceptible. Attitudes toward fake news vary significantly across demographic factors such as education, age, sector, religiosity, political orientation, and income. The study underscores the continued relevance of professional journalism in verifying information and mitigating the effects of misinformation, while highlighting the interaction between global patterns and local sociocultural contexts.
About the author:
Hillel Nossek is professor and head of the Dan Shomron Institute for Research on Security, Society and Peace Studies, Kinneret Academic College on the Sea of Galilee. He was the head of the Communication Department and the head of the research authority of the College. In 2021 he was ZeMKI Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Bremen. Among the academic positions he held in the past: Dean of the School of Communications, Head of the Research Authority and Head of the Teaching Authority of the College of Management Academic Studies, Chairman of the Israel Communication Associationn and Head of the Media, Public Opinion and Society Section of IAMCR, the International Association for Mass Media Research. Editor of the Journal of the Israel Communication Association: Media Frameworks. His primary research and publications include the consumption of new and old media, and their use for the construction of social identities; News in general and foreign news in particular (production, distribution, and consumption). He is also interested in the link between political violence, terrorism and media; Military and media relations in general, and military and security censorship in particular, as well as community communications and alternative media.
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