When Distrust Shapes News Choice: Perceptions of Mis- and Disinformation and News Consumption Across Traditional and Social Media Outlets

While trust in the news media has eroded globally, this shift is particularly noticeable in the United States. This lack of trust has been attributed to perceptions that the news media is either unintentionally (misinformation) or intentionally (disinformation) spreading false information. This study examined the relationship between perceptions of misinformation (PMI) and disinformation (PDI) and traditional and social media news use. A survey of US adults (N = 1005) revealed that both PMI and PDI were negatively associated with television and newspaper news use. Furthermore, PMI was positively associated with YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram news use, whereas PDI was positively associated with YouTube and TikTok news use. Our findings highlight the roles PMI and PDI play in the selection of specific outlets for news consumption and offer implications in understanding how individuals engage in news selection, which could expose them to mis- and disinformation.