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Fighting the Past: Perceptions of Control, Historical Misperceptions, and Corrective Information in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

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Fighting the Past: Perceptions of Control, Historical Misperceptions, and Corrective Information in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

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Original Article

Authors

Brendan Nyhan,

Thomas Zeitzoff

Corresponding author

American University

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Thomas Zeitzoff, American University, School of Public Affairs, 4400 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20016. E-mail: zeitzoff@gmail.com

Search for more papers by this author

Abstract

What makes people deny wrongdoing that their group has inflicted on others? Prior research argues that refusing to acknowledge past misbehavior contributes to intergroup conflict, making historical misinformation important to understand and address. In particular, feeling a lack of control may make people more vulnerable to these misperceptions-a claim we test in a preregistered survey experiment examining beliefs about the Palestinian exodus during the creation of the state of Israel. Consistent with expectations, Jewish Israelis who were asked to recall an event in which they lacked control were more vulnerable to arguments (incorrectly) denying any Jewish responsibility for the exodus. By contrast, corrective information successfully reduced misperceptions regardless of feelings of control. However, corrections had no effect on attitudes toward the outgroup or support for the peace process, which suggests that historical misperceptions may be more of a symptom of intergroup conflict than a cause of its persistence.

Ancillary

Supporting Information

Additional supporting information may be found in the online version of this article at the publisher's website:

pops12449-sup-0001-suppinfo1.pdf 297K

Appendix S1. Experimental Instrument

Appendix S2. Additional Results

Figure S1. Misperceptions About the Palestinian Exodus by Condition and Ideology.

Figure S2. Misperceptions About the Palestinian Exodus by Condition and Violence Exposure.

Table S1. Balance Statistics

Table S2. Historical Misperceptions: Binary Outcome Measure Results

Table S3. Misperceptions About the Palestinian Exodus: Differences by Condition and Violence Exposure

Table S4. Experimental Effects on Sabra/Shatila Misperceptions

Table S5. Experimental Effects on Beliefs About Israel

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Citing Literature

Original Article

Authors

Brendan Nyhan,

Thomas Zeitzoff

Corresponding author

American University

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Thomas Zeitzoff, American University, School of Public Affairs, 4400 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20016. E-mail: zeitzoff@gmail.com

Search for more papers by this author

Abstract

What makes people deny wrongdoing that their group has inflicted on others? Prior research argues that refusing to acknowledge past misbehavior contributes to intergroup conflict, making historical misinformation important to understand and address. In particular, feeling a lack of control may make people more vulnerable to these misperceptions-a claim we test in a preregistered survey experiment examining beliefs about the Palestinian exodus during the creation of the state of Israel. Consistent with expectations, Jewish Israelis who were asked to recall an event in which they lacked control were more vulnerable to arguments (incorrectly) denying any Jewish responsibility for the exodus. By contrast, corrective information successfully reduced misperceptions regardless of feelings of control. However, corrections had no effect on attitudes toward the outgroup or support for the peace process, which suggests that historical misperceptions may be more of a symptom of intergroup conflict than a cause of its persistence.

Ancillary

Supporting Information

Additional supporting information may be found in the online version of this article at the publisher's website:

pops12449-sup-0001-suppinfo1.pdf 297K

Appendix S1. Experimental Instrument

Appendix S2. Additional Results

Figure S1. Misperceptions About the Palestinian Exodus by Condition and Ideology.

Figure S2. Misperceptions About the Palestinian Exodus by Condition and Violence Exposure.

Table S1. Balance Statistics

Table S2. Historical Misperceptions: Binary Outcome Measure Results

Table S3. Misperceptions About the Palestinian Exodus: Differences by Condition and Violence Exposure

Table S4. Experimental Effects on Sabra/Shatila Misperceptions

Table S5. Experimental Effects on Beliefs About Israel

Please note: Wiley-Blackwell is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.

Related content

Articles related to the one you are viewing

Please enable Javascript to view the related content of this article.

Citing Literature

Original Article

Authors

Brendan Nyhan,

Thomas Zeitzoff

Corresponding author

American University

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Thomas Zeitzoff, American University, School of Public Affairs, 4400 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20016. E-mail: zeitzoff@gmail.com

Search for more papers by this author

Abstract

What makes people deny wrongdoing that their group has inflicted on others? Prior research argues that refusing to acknowledge past misbehavior contributes to intergroup conflict, making historical misinformation important to understand and address. In particular, feeling a lack of control may make people more vulnerable to these misperceptions-a claim we test in a preregistered survey experiment examining beliefs about the Palestinian exodus during the creation of the state of Israel. Consistent with expectations, Jewish Israelis who were asked to recall an event in which they lacked control were more vulnerable to arguments (incorrectly) denying any Jewish responsibility for the exodus. By contrast, corrective information successfully reduced misperceptions regardless of feelings of control. However, corrections had no effect on attitudes toward the outgroup or support for the peace process, which suggests that historical misperceptions may be more of a symptom of intergroup conflict than a cause of its persistence.

Ancillary

Supporting Information

Additional supporting information may be found in the online version of this article at the publisher's website:

pops12449-sup-0001-suppinfo1.pdf 297K

Appendix S1. Experimental Instrument

Appendix S2. Additional Results

Figure S1. Misperceptions About the Palestinian Exodus by Condition and Ideology.

Figure S2. Misperceptions About the Palestinian Exodus by Condition and Violence Exposure.

Table S1. Balance Statistics

Table S2. Historical Misperceptions: Binary Outcome Measure Results

Table S3. Misperceptions About the Palestinian Exodus: Differences by Condition and Violence Exposure

Table S4. Experimental Effects on Sabra/Shatila Misperceptions

Table S5. Experimental Effects on Beliefs About Israel

Please note: Wiley-Blackwell is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.

Related content

Articles related to the one you are viewing

Please enable Javascript to view the related content of this article.

Citing Literature

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Fighting the Past: Perceptions of Control, Historical Misperceptions, and Corrective Information in the Israeli‐Palestinian Conflict

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What makes people deny wrongdoing that their group has inflicted on others? Prior research argues that refusing to acknowledge past misbehavior contributes to intergroup conflict, making historical misinformation...

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Leading journalists, along with First Amendment and digital media experts, guide students through the platform's interactive multimedia lessons. These e-learning experiences use real-world examples of news and information that test students' emerging skills and lead them to mastery. The virtual classroom has been successfully implemented at the middle school, high school and college level.

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The full News Literacy course, developed at Stony Brook University, organizes the material into 8 concepts that are spread amongst our 14 week course that take students from the first information revolution of Johannes Gutenberg's printing press to the Digital Age of Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook. Each lesson stands alone or can easily be integrated into your program.

Below, find a summary of each of those lessons, and a link to the most updated version of the teaching materials for each from our professors at Stony Brook University. Each of the following Course Packs include PowerPoint presentations, associated media, lecture notes, and recitation materials.

Our course structure changed in the Fall 2015 semester. The changes are outlined in our updated syllabus from that semester.

Lesson 1: Why News Literacy Matters

News Literacy Lesson 1 Course Pack - Updated SPRING 2016

In the wake of the latest information revolution, it is up to the consumer to determine whether information is reliable and whether to publish it.

Lesson 2: The Power of Information

Lesson 3: ...But is it True? Part 1

Journalists and scientists have a similar understanding of truth - a statement of probability that's proportional to the amount of available evidence and subject to an informal system of peer review.

The concept of provisional truth: Because journalism is a snapshot in time, journalistic truth evolves as new evidence emerges. The lesson for news consumers: Follow a story over time.

Context and transparency: Key concepts in the journey from fact to truth. Valuable news stories put information in context and are transparent about how reporters know what they know and don't know and why.

Truth is more likely to emerge when you look at a story from different perspectives. Journalists do that by trying to include the voices of all involved.

Lesson 4: But is it true? Part 2: Verification

Journalists pursue the truth by following a ranking of direct evidence that places the greatest value on photographs and videos, documents and records, personal observations and witnesses.

Seeing isn't always believing. News outlets and consumers must also verify the authenticity of visual journalism. How news organizations and consumers evaluate still images and videos.

Assessing the value of polls, surveys and studies. Understanding the science of polling and evaluating reports of scientific breakthroughs.

The battle between journalism's pursuit of the truth and digital-age business models: How the fight for page views, ratings and circulation can put journalistic values in peril.

Lesson 5: What Makes News Different?

Lesson 6: Fairness and Balance

Lesson 7: Who's Biased Now?

- Updated News Literacy Lesson 7 Course Pack Fall 2015

Lesson 8: Who Decides What's Newsworthy?

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Lesson 9: The Medium is the Message

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Newspapers and magazines still offer the most comprehensive coverage, but market forces, technological advances and demographic changes have dramatically reduced their resources and reach.

Radio has survived by maintaining an intimacy and immediacy and developing its own style of storytelling.

TV news is still the most powerful tool for following breaking news stories with compelling visuals, but it exists in an entertainment medium.

Lesson 10: The Medium is the Message - Part 2, Digital Media

N ews Literacy Lesson 10 Course Pack - Updated Spring 2015

News websites and search engines have broadened the reach of news consumers while presenting them with new challenges - information overload, questions of authenticity and confirmation bias - in their pursuit of reliable information. A key lesson: Ranking on search engines does not necessarily indicate the reliability of a website or piece of information found online.

The explosion of social media and the evolution of the news consumer from observer to news producer have brought not only a powerful level of engagement but also the proliferation of misinformation. Plus: How social media has been used in modern election campaigns.

Lesson 11: Says Who?

News Literacy Lesson 11 Course Pack - Updated Spring 2015

The decontruction process uses News Literacy concepts to analyze and dispassionately judge a report's reliability.

1. Summarize the main points: Do the headline and lead support them?

2. How close does the reporter come to opening the freezer? Is the evidence direct or indirect?

3. Evaluate the reliability of the sources using IMVAIN.

4. Is the reporter's work transparent? Does the reader learn what the reporter knows and does not know?

5. Does the reporter place the story in context, providing facts that surround an event or elements of a news story and provide meaning or significance?

6. Are the key questions answered? Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?

7. Is the story fair?

Lesson 12: Deconstructing The News

News Literacy Lesson 12 Course Pack - Updated Spring 2015

This 7-step deconstruction process uses News Literacy concepts to analyze and dispassionately judge a report's reliability.

1. Summarize the main points and then check if the headline and the lead support the main point(s) of the story?
2. How close does the reporter come to opening the freezer? Is the evidence direct or "arm's-length?"
3. Evaluate the reliability of the sources using IMVAIN.
4. Does the reporter make his or her work transparent?
5. Does the reporter place the story in context?
6. Are the key questions answered?
7. Is the story fair?

Students apply the principles of deconstruction to all forms of traditional media including video and audio news stories.

For video news, we analyze a series of "winners" and "sinners" and how you can tell the difference.

Lesson 13: Deconstructing Social Media

Students learn to recognize the power and gauge the reliability of social media posts and websites

A key lesson: Ranking on search engines does not necessarily indicate the reliability of a website or piece of information found online.

The advent of crowdsourcing and "citizen journalists" has created new opportunities and challenges for both news outlets and news consumers.

Lesson 14: News Literate You -- The Future of News

In the Digital Age, we are all publishers as well as news consumers. And with great power, comes great responsibility.

The advent of crowdsourcing and "citizen journalists" has created new opportunities and challenges for both news outlets and news consumers.

The Internet's disruption of traditional journalism business models has raised a key question: Who will pay for watchdog journalism in the Digital Age?

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Known worldwide for her courage and clarity, Christiane Amanpour has spent the past three decades interviewing business, cultural and political leaders who have shaped history. In conversation with TED Curator Chris Anderson, Amanpour discusses fake news, objectivity in journalism, the leadership vacuum in global politics and more, sharing her wisdom along the way.