An experimental study of the effect of the news source on the dissemination of fake news

Abstract Objective: This study aims to analyze the effect of the source (true versus false) of news on the intention to disseminate fake news of a brand, considering the mediation of news credibility in the relationship between source credibility and intention to disseminate fake news. Originality/value: This study’s relevance and originality revolve around the effect of the source (true versus false) on the intention to disseminate fake news about a brand. To date, we are unaware of other studies that have found the effect of a source (true versus false) on the intention to disseminate fake news about a brand. Design/method/approach: We conducted a laboratory quasi-experiment (n=153 participants), utilizing Structural Equation Modeling to analyze the data. The mediation test used the PROCESS macro. Results: The results indicated that a true source could induce indi-viduals to disseminate fake news only when the credibility of the news mediates the relationship. Contributions: This study contributes to both fake news and brand lite-rature by presenting new findings about the effect of sources on the intention to share fake news. This study tests the mediation relationship through the PROCESS macro as a methodological contribution. Brand managers need to pay more attention to Dark Social, given the ease of manipulating content and the persuasion obtained. Public managers are responsible for reinforcing the importance of people checking the content they receive, even from a credible source.