Ideologically aligned false news is remembered far more by partisans

Evidence

Consider media coverage of the 2003 War in Iraq: studies show that repeated exposure to suggestive headlines reporting the ‘possible discovery of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs)’ led to persistent false memories about the war among a notable segment of the US population. Here, too, an important link with ideology emerged: about 60 per cent of Republicans falsely believed in the discovery of WMDs in Iraq, compared to 20 per cent of Democrats. The key take-away is that, during emotionally charged political events, our memories of facts become more open to suggestion. — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 83

Categorization

• XREF: Parallels the ‘people as scapegoats of their own confirmation needs’ theme from the Frankfurt School studies. — connects to: People preferentially form false memories consistent with their political allegiances — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects…, 82; Partisan identity skews which conspiracist claims people credit — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 36; Partisan identity now drives belief in human-caused global warming — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement: How People Do Harm…, 2762 (+6 more)

Broader Connections

• People preferentially form false memories consistent with their political allegiances #corroborates (0.95) — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 82
• Partisan identity skews which conspiracist claims people credit #expands (0.82) — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 36
• Partisan identity now drives belief in human-caused global warming #exemplifies (0.80) — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 2762