How health journalists gatecheck public figures who share misinformation

Rita Tang, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Zhiying Xu, Purdue University Northwest, Amanda Hinnant, University of Missouri, Rachel YoungUniversity of Iowa, Iowa City, María Elizabeth Len-Ríos, University of Minnesota Twin Cities

Journalism: Theory, Practice & Criticism

Published online on October 29, 2025

Abstract

Journalism, Ahead of Print.
This study investigates how health journalists report handling misinformation shared by a public figure. Survey results from 629 U.S. journalists show that nearly 70% said they wouldgatecheckthe information or make an explicit reference that the ...