Effective debunking frames corrections around the truth, not the repeated myth

Evidence

So, if you’re forced to debunk, better to do it right. With about two dozen other misinformation experts, we’ve come up with a format of how to debunk effectively: it’s an approach Berkeley linguistics professor George Lakoff refers to as ‘the truth sandwich’. The idea is to layer the falsehood with the truth, in both the opening as well as the ending of the fact-check, which should include an alternative explanation for the myth. The ‘meat’ of the sandwich should consist of explaining why the myth is misleading (without repeating it). — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 286

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines Lakoff’s ‘truth sandwich’ debunking format.
• XREF: Relates to ‘Complaints About Immodesty’ article? no — better: connects to continued-influence effect literature already surfaced in chapter. — connects to: Explicitly retracted misinformation still leaks into memory representations and answers — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects…, 251; Corrections work best when paired with a credible alternative explanation — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects…, 280; Correcting false beliefs can strengthen them rather than reduce them — Lee McIntyre, Post-Truth, 350 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Correcting false beliefs can strengthen them rather than reduce them #complicates (0.90) — Lee McIntyre, Post-Truth, 350