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Results from Study 1 (South Korea) and Study 2 (United States) collectively suggested the evidence of persuasive effects of fact-checking news by partisan media, yet at the same time, partisans perceive such corrections to be biased against their ideological position. The bias perception of fact-checking news was higher when one’s ideological strengths were stronger, and the source (rather than contents) of the corrective information is at odds with one’s own position, the pattern of which is largely consistent with the HME. Yet both Study 1 and Study 2 did not directly address the underlying nature of such effects, leaving us additional questions regarding its possible mechanisms and boundary conditions. Study 3 attempts to critically test possible mechanisms of the diverging effect of partisan fact-checking news exposure, in which corrective information exposure produces increased bias perception while it also produces positive persuasive effects.

Research Questions and Hypothesis (Persuasive effect) Hypothesis 1 (H1): As a result of exposure to fact-checking news, prior attitude (or belief) on the issue would be changed toward the direction suggested by the fact-checking news. Hypothesis 2 (H2): The effect of fact-checking news would be consistent regardless of whether the content of the news is counter-attitudinal or pro-attitudinal. Hypothesis 3 (H3): The effect of the fact-checking news would be consistent regardless of the political slant of the news media. (Perceived bias) Hypothesis 4a (H4a): The perceived bias on fact-checking news would be varied by the content of the fact-checking news. Hypothesis 4b (H4b): The perceived bias on fact-checking news would vary by the perceived political slant of partisan media. Hypothesis 5a (H5a): Attitude-consistent fact-checking news content would be perceived as less biased, while counter-attitudinal content would be perceived to be more biased. Hypothesis 5b (H5b): Fact-checking news by in-group source would be perceived to be less biased, while fact-checking news by out-group source would be perceived to be more biased. Hypothesis 6 (H6): The intensity of bias perception on fact-checking news would be increased as the ideological strength of an individual increases.