Dubious News: The Social Processing of Uncertain Facts in Uncertain Times

Research has struggled to answer a critical question: why would people share fake news if they have no intention to deceive, and they run a risk of social censure for doing so? Working on the basis that sharers do not know whether the news is fake, we propose the term "dubious news" to help answer that question. The term describes news which exists in two states simultaneously, both true and false until it has been established which it is. People who would be reluctant to knowingly share fake news might nonetheless share dubious news. Focus groups run in Singapore during the early stages of the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic - when uncertainty ran high - explored why people share dubious news, its value in establishing truth, and its impact on group cohesion. We identify a difference between the motivation of the sharer and how that motivation is perceived by a recipient, which further illustrates the distinction between dubious and fake news. We conclude that, despite the potential for discord in the group and censure for the individual, dubious news may still perform social functions like that of rumour: group cohesion; personal status; and a sense of control in situations of uncertainty.