Building resilience to misinformation in communities of color: Results from two studies of tailored digital media literacy interventions

Abstract

Interventions to build resilience to misinformation should consider the needs of communities of color, who experience (mis)information in unique ways. We evaluated digital media literacy interventions to improve misinformation resilience among four communities of color in the United States (Black, Latino, Asian American/Pacific Islander, Native American), which were designed by the nonprofit PEN America and community partner organizations. We assessed intervention efficacy in two studies: (1) a quasi-experimental field study among diverse participants recruited via community outreach and (2) a randomized controlled trial among Latinos recruited via a survey company (total N = 370). Results indicated that participants in both studies improved their comprehension of digital media literacy skills after taking the intervention. However, only those recruited via community outreach improved their ability to accurately identify true and false online news in a behavioral detection task. Our findings highlight the need to consider heterogeneous treatment effects in misinformation interventions, particularly across different communities and intervention contexts.