Enhancing Self-Perceived Disinformation Identification in Democracy: The Impact of Fact-Checking Integration into Daily News Consumption Practices

The rise of political disinformation poses a substantial threat to democratic societies, with the potential to erode well-informed decision-making and hinder effective policy formulation. While existing research typically concentrates on experimental exposures to fact-checking, a significant research gap remains regarding how the integration of fact-checking into daily news consumption routines contributes to self-perceived levels of disinformation identification. This study addresses this gap by examining the role of various media consumption platforms in facilitating fact-checking practices and their potential to mitigate misperceptions. Findings from a two-wave panel survey in Spain (N = 570) suggest that news consumption alone does not directly improve self-perceived levels of disinformation identification. Instead, it indirectly facilitates recognition by encouraging the adoption of fact-checking practices. The study concludes that citizens’ self-perceived ability to identify disinformation is enhanced when news consumption across platforms is complemented by fact-checking practices.