Facing the truth

Audiences’ facial expressions and emotional responses to real or fake photos in the news

Bibliographic Data

ID19477163
AuthorsTara Marie Mortensen (0000-0002-4541-1570, University of South Carolina, corresponding author), Carrie Jingyi Xiao (University of South Carolina), Taylor Jing Wen (0000-0002-6967-1617, University of South Carolina), Taylor Wen (University of South Carolina)
Year2026
Publication date2026-04-03
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournalism (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1464-8849 • E-ISSN: 1741-3001
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/14648849261433632
OpenAlexW7148907917
LanguageEN
References cited54

Similar to the now-ubiquitous AI-generated photos, multi-purpose stock photos are directly at odds with the values of photojournalism, which seek to visually speak the truth and depict genuine human emotions. Using stock photos and staffed photojournalist photos as stimuli, this study examines effects of truth and emotion in photos in a news context. Facial expression biometric measures, valence perceptions, and arousal levels are the dependent variables. The findings show a number of nuanced interaction effects that suggest overall stronger effects of staff-taken photos. In the contemporary media era of deepfakes and synthetic media, institutions prioritizing human-captured visuals may better safeguard audiences against disinformation, which can weaponize artificial emotional appeals and hallucinate even in innocuous contexts. The present research shows that authenticity is a currency of trust in visual communication, and there is a continued merit to truthful news photographs taken by on-staff photojournalists

Biometrics · Credibility · Facial expression · Hallucinating · Odds · Perception · Sadness · Deception detection and forensic psychology · Media Influence and Health · Misinformation and Its Impacts

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