Blaming News Media for Fake News: The Role of Elite Media Discourse and Partisans’ Media Perception in Perceived Fake News Exposure and Attribution

This study examines how political and media perceptions shape perceived exposure to fake news in news media and the attribution of fake news to news media in South Korea, where progressive elites more often criticize news media bias and raise fake news concerns. Survey analyses demonstrate two routes linking elite discourse to blaming the news media. A cue-taking route from elites’ recent fake news discourse shows that greater news consumption among progressives is associated with higher perceived exposure to fake news in news media, which in turn is positively associated with stronger attribution of fake news problems to news media. A news media perception route indicates progressive voters hold stronger hostile media perceptions, which reduce trust in the news media and, subsequently, increase perceived exposure to fake news and the attributions of fake news to the news media. The findings imply elites’ power in shaping public fake news perceptions.