ORCID

https://orcid.org/0009-0004-6504-102X

Date of Award

Fall 2026

Language

English

Embargo Period

10-5-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College/School/Department

School of Criminal Justice

Program

Criminal Justice

First Advisor

Justin Pickett

Committee Members

Robert Worden, Rachel Novick, Alissa Worden

Keywords

Cultivation Theory, Misinformation, Policing, Public Opinion, Police Reform

Subject Categories

Law Enforcement and Corrections

Abstract

In today’s post-truth era, misinformation has become a central feature of modern society. While not a new phenomenon, the 2024 Presidential election demonstrated what a serious problem it represents, as public perceptions were driven more by information they received (true or false) than by objective social conditions. Policing is one of the most debated topics in criminal justice, dividing public opinion along partisan and racial lines. Studies show that the information people receive about police shapes their attitudes, yet criminologists have largely overlooked how misinformation may influence those views. This dissertation fills that gap by experimentally testing how exposure to police misinformation shapes public opinion and police policy preferences. Drawing on cultivation theory, which argues that repeated exposure to media shapes how people perceive reality, this dissertation extends this logic to misinformation. Using data from two national YouGov surveys (N = 1,000 each), I examine the relationship between partisanship, media consumption, exposure to and belief in misinformation, fact-checking, and reform support. In Study 1, I use a randomized between-subject experiment to investigate who has been exposed to pro- and anti-police misinformation, whether that exposure affects reform support, and whether fact-checks reduce those effects. In Study 2, I use a split-ballot experiment to investigate whether media consumption cultivates beliefs in pro-police misinformation, whether those beliefs shape reform support, and whether partisanship plays a role in these relationships. I found that exposure to misinformation alone does not influence policing attitudes; rather, it is the belief in pro-police misinformation, cultivated through consumption of crime television shows, that is associated with support for policing reform. Partisanship moderates media consumption but not misinformation acceptance. These findings suggest the need for criminologists to devote more theoretical and empirical attention to misinformation, especially in debates over criminal justice reforms.

License

This work is licensed under the University at Albany Standard Author Agreement.

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