Toward trustworthy content: the role of challengers, juries and veracity bonds in digital media platforms

Purpose Public trust in digital media and online content has declining considerably over the past 50 years. Traditional interventions such as fact-checking, warning labels, content classification systems and artificial intelligence (AI) detection tools have inherent limitations in both scalability and effectiveness. This study explores decentralized governance mechanisms for content trust, including challengers, juries and blockchain-based veracity bonds and evaluates their impact on content quality and trust. Design/methodology/approach Three scenario-based experiments were conducted to examine user perceptions of credibility, author commitment, procedural justice and fairness. Study 1 introduced a challenge mechanism to dispute content accuracy. Study 2 implemented a jury mechanism for impartial evaluation of challenges. Study 3 explored the use of financial stakes through veracity and counter-veracity bonds to promote accountability. Findings The challenge mechanism significantly enhanced perceptions of credibility by empowering users to scrutinize content. Veracity bonds improved perceived commitment by signaling accountability through financial stakes, while counter-veracity bonds reduced fairness perceptions. We found that jury mechanisms without financial bonds had limited impact on content commitment. Practical implications Features such as challengers and veracity bonds help authors demonstrate a commitment to accuracy and quality, enhance accountability by incentivizing truthfulness alongside the inherent goals of attention and virality and encourage community participation in countering misinformation. Originality/value This study offers an innovative approach to rebuilding trust in digital media and online content by introducing novel evaluation mechanisms, including veracity bonds and counter-veracity bonds. We extend the Heuristic-Systematic Model of information processing by introducing a new dimension: the Investment Heuristic. Unlike conventional heuristics based on nudges or fact-checking, this approach integrates financial and participatory incentives directly into the platform’s design.