Although the Ognyanova et al. study sheds some light on the effects of exposure to fake news and one's trust levels in the current political landscape, it does have some limitations: 
- All of the results are correlational, so a causal mechanism cannot be inferred from the data. 
- The study likely underreported the amount of fake news a participant was exposed to. The extension was only enabled on one browser, and it is possible not every fake news website was accounted for.
- Most of the fake-news websites were right-leaning, which could have skewed the data 


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- Misinformation exposure in between the studies was correlated with a 5% decrease in trust in the media
- Overall, misinformation exposure was positively linked to trust in government. There was a 4% increase in political trust, and more specifically an 8% increase in trust in Congress associated with misinformation exposure. 
- There was a more complicated relationship when political ideology was considered. For strong liberals, misinformation exposure was linked to a decreased level of political trust. For moderates and conservatives, however, it was linked to increased levels of political trust. 
- The political landscape of 2018 likely impacted these results. With republicans controlling all branches of government, most right-leaning fake news served to praise that party. Therefore, republicans and moderates would've been more likely to accept it, whereas strong democrats would have been motivated to disagree with it. 

How Fake News Exposure Affects Trust in Media and Government

 Ognyanova, K., Lazer, D., Robertson, R. E., & Wilson, C. (2020). Misinformation in action: Fake news exposure is linked to lower trust in media, higher trust in government when your side is in power. The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) 
Misinformation Review, 1(4), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.37016/mr-2020-024

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