Debunking a politically motivated rumour on Reddit: the context of the 2024 U.S. Republican presidential campaign

Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to elaborate on the picture of the informational credibility of rumours and the ways in which false political rumours are debunked in online discussion. Design/methodology/approach: Descriptive quantitative analysis and qualitative content analysis of 1,775 posts submitted to 37 Reddit discussion threads focussing on the debunking of the rumour about pet eating among Haitian immigrants during the 2024 U.S. Republican presidential campaign. It was examined how and by what criteria the online participants debunked the rumour. Findings: The participants employed seven approaches to rumour debunking: (1) drawing on prior refutations of the rumour; (2) presenting personal opinion about the rumour; (3) condemning rumourmongering; (4) demanding responsibility from rumourmongers; (5) indicating negative consequences of rumour dissemination; (6) joking about the rumour and its disseminators and (7) expressing emotional reactions. In rumour debunking, person-related criteria such as the honesty of the rumour disseminator were particularly significant, while criteria dealing with the content of the rumour, for example, the provision of evidence, were used less frequently. The findings suggest that rumour debunking occurring in online discussion draws heavily on the participants’ personal opinions, as well as appeals dealing with the blameworthiness of rumour dissemination. Research limitations/implications: As the study focusses on a sample of posts dealing with a particular rumour, the findings cannot be generalized to concern the rumour debunking occurring in online discussions. Originality/value: The study pioneers by providing an in-depth analysis of the rumour debunking in online discussion. The findings highlight the significance of opinion-based approaches to rumour debunking.