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Given Truth, the Misinformed Believe Lies More

Posted by samzenpus on from the don't-let-the-truth-get-in-your-way dept.

SharpFang writes "In a series of studies in 2005 and 2006, researchers at the University of Michigan found that misinformed people, particularly political partisans, rarely changed their minds when exposed to corrected facts in news stories. In fact, they often became even more strongly set in their beliefs. Facts, they found, were not curing misinformation. Like an underpowered antibiotic, facts could actually make misinformation even stronger."

16 of 961 comments (clear)

  1. This study is nothing but Communist propaganda by elrous0 · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's nothing but lies designed to obscure the fact that Barak Hussein Obama is a Muslim terrorist who wants to entrance our children with commie healthcare. The sooner he goes back to his hometown in Kenya the better.

    And my facts are just fine. Bill O'Reilly told me so.

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    1. Re:This study is nothing but Communist propaganda by denmarkw00t · · Score: 3, Funny

      This is not communist propaganda, Obama isn't a terrorist, and O'Reilly doesn't know everything. Those are facts, I'm pretty sure I just bolstered your own beliefs :P

    2. Re:This study is nothing but Communist propaganda by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      A sarcasm detector based on voice inflection would probably think that people from India are being sarcastic all the time, but in my experience, they are almost never sarcastic. Isn't that ironic?

    3. Re:This study is nothing but Communist propaganda by JustOK · · Score: 5, Funny

      Brilliant reasoning. Thank you. Come again.

      --
      rewriting history since 2109
    4. Re:This study is nothing but Communist propaganda by Hylandr · · Score: 2, Funny

      Probably burned them out in the vibrator...

      - Dan.

      --
      ~ People that think they are better than anyone else for any reason are the cause of all the strife in the world.
    5. Re:This study is nothing but Communist propaganda by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      ...And a meta-woosh for you, fine sir.

    6. Re:This study is nothing but Communist propaganda by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      What does that have to do with Slashdot though? Most text to speech programs don't have the capability to create a sarcastic voice inflection let alone detect when it should do so.

    7. Re:This study is nothing but Communist propaganda by e2d2 · · Score: 2, Funny

      It's a good thing we have intelligent rational thinkers working against ignorance. Otherwise we might come off like a bunch of assholes that just want to push our views on others. You know. Like "those" guys.

    8. Re:This study is nothing but Communist propaganda by jd · · Score: 3, Funny

      That is because the sarcasm tags in HTML5 aren't implemented in all browsers yet.

      --
      It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
    9. Re:This study is nothing but Communist propaganda by h4rm0ny · · Score: 4, Funny

      I think Superman got stuck in a revolving door.

      --

      Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
    10. Re:This study is nothing but Communist propaganda by Xyrus · · Score: 5, Funny

      Troll Rhapsody

      Is that a real post?
      This must be just fantasy.
      Caught in a thread flood
      No escape from the trolling spree

      Open your browser
      The trolls getting louder, please

      I'm just a poor troll (Poor troll),
      I need no sympathy
      Because I'm easy come, easy go
      Little high, little low
      Any way the thread goes
      Doesn't really matter to me, to me.

      Mama, just killed a thread
      Posted a picture of Hitler's Head
      Godwined it and now it's dead
      Mama, the thread had just begun
      But now I've gone and thrown it all away
      Mama, ooh
      I want to make it die
      If it's not locked tight by this time tomorrow
      Carry on, carry on as if nothing really matters

      Too late, this thread is done
      Sends electrons down my line
      Brain is aching all the time
      Goodbye, everybody
      The thread has got to go
      The troll will leave you all behind 'cuz it's a douche
      Mama, oooooooh (Anyway the thread goes)
      This thread don't wanna die
      Sometimes wish it'd never been born at all

      [Guitar Solo]

      I see a little silhouetto of a troll
      Meta-whoosh, Meta-whoosh, he didn't get it at all
      Politics, Religion, can't believe I fed him! Sheesh!
      (Hitler Stalin) Obama Palin (Global Warming) I'm Just Sayin', Do not feed the little troll!
      Magnifico-o-o-o-o
      I'm just a poor troll nobody loves me
      He's just a poor troll check his facebook page and see
      He's made this thread into another travesty

      Easy come, easy go, will you let me troll?
      Bismillah! No, we will not let you troll
      Let him troll
      Bismillah! We will not let you troll
      Let him troll
      Bismillah! We will not let you troll
      Let me troll (Will not let you troll)
      Let me troll (Will not let you troll) (Never, never, never, never)
      Let me troll, o, o, o, o
      No, no, no, no, no, no, no
      (Oh mama mia, mama mia) Mama Mia, let me troll
      The Sysadmin has a banning put aside for me, for me, for me!

      So you think you can troll me and spit in my eye
      So you think you can troll me and leave me to die
      Oh, douchebag, can't do this to me, douchebag
      You just get out, just gotta get right outta here

      [Guitar Solo]
      (Oooh yeah, Oooh yeah)

      Trolls don't really matter
      Anyone can see
      Trolls don't really matter
      Trolls don't really matter to me

      Any way the thread goes...

      --
      ~X~
  2. Logical Positivism? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Didn't RTFA but if this study uses a logical positivist approach to a soc-sci research topic then it's completely pointless.

  3. Everything I say is a lie by Darth+Sdlavrot · · Score: 3, Funny

    Including this

  4. No surprise... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    This explains the popularity of chicken-wingers, ordinary people who would have weight to gain for voting for chicken-wing parties, yet who keep doing so.

  5. Well, its the truth's fault! by nweaver · · Score: 4, Funny

    After all, we know that the truth has a liberal bias.

    --
    Test your net with Netalyzr
  6. Joking with murder? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Communism is funny?

    Hey, maybe I should joke about slaughtering a few million black people as well.

    FIREWOOD, HAHA, BUT ALREADY CHARRED! LOL!