About this study
Before we begin
You will read a social media news feed about a real international event from May 2024, then answer questions about it. Takes 8–10 minutes. All responses are anonymous.
1Before today, how familiar were you with the shooting of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in May 2024?
1 — Not at all 2 3 4 5 — Extremely
2Had you followed news coverage of this event prior to this study?
Yes No Vague memory, didn't follow closely
3What is your primary source of news?
Social media TV Online news sites Newspapers Podcasts / radio Don't follow news
4How often do you follow international news?
Never Rarely Sometimes Often Always
News feed
Read through the feed below
Scroll through the feed and read the posts as you normally would. Click any article to read the full story. When you're done, continue to the next section.

For you

You've reached the end of the feed
5Roughly how many posts did you read in full?
0 — none 1–3 4–6 7–10 (most)
6Did any posts feel like advertisements rather than news?
Yes No Unsure
Questions about the event
True, False, or Not enough information?
Based on what you read in the feed, select your answer for each statement. Then rate your confidence from 0–100.
7Robert Fico was shot in Slovakia's capital city, Bratislava.
True False Not enough information
How confident are you? (0 = not at all, 100 = completely certain)
50
8The suspect was apprehended at the scene of the shooting.
True False Not enough information
How confident are you? (0 = not at all, 100 = completely certain)
50
9Robert Fico was shot five times.
True False Not enough information
How confident are you? (0 = not at all, 100 = completely certain)
50
10The shooting took place after a Slovak government cabinet meeting.
True False Not enough information
How confident are you? (0 = not at all, 100 = completely certain)
50
11Slovak authorities publicly described the attack as politically motivated.
True False Not enough information
How confident are you? (0 = not at all, 100 = completely certain)
50
12Robert Fico died from his injuries within 24 hours of the shooting.
True False Not enough information
How confident are you? (0 = not at all, 100 = completely certain)
50
13The suspected shooter was identified as a 71-year-old man.
True False Not enough information
How confident are you? (0 = not at all, 100 = completely certain)
50
14The gun used in the attack was legally owned by the suspect.
True False Not enough information
How confident are you? (0 = not at all, 100 = completely certain)
50
15Both U.S. President Biden and Russian President Putin condemned the attack.
True False Not enough information
How confident are you? (0 = not at all, 100 = completely certain)
50
16Robert Fico had been serving as Prime Minister continuously since 2006.
True False Not enough information
How confident are you? (0 = not at all, 100 = completely certain)
50
Your impressions
How did the feed feel?
17How trustworthy did the feed feel overall?
Not at all
01234567
Extremely
18How biased or one-sided did the feed feel?
Not at all
01234567
Extremely
19How emotionally activated do you feel right now — for example, anxious or angry?
Not at all
01234567
Extremely
A few more questions
About the content of the feed
20How much did the posts seem to contradict each other?
Not at all
01234567
A great deal
21How emotionally charged did the language feel?
Very calm
01234567
Very charged
22How much background context did the posts provide — who Fico is, his history, what led to the shooting?
No context
01234567
A great deal
Almost done
One more check
23This question checks that you are reading carefully. Please select "Somewhat agree".
Strongly disagree Disagree Somewhat agree Agree Strongly agree
About you
Finally, a few questions about yourself
24What is your age?
18–24 25–34 35–44 45–54 55–64 65+ Prefer not to say
25Highest level of education completed?
Less than high school High school / GED Some college Associate's Bachelor's Master's Doctoral / professional Prefer not to say
26What country do you currently live in?
27How would you describe your political views?
1 — Very liberal 2 3 4 — Moderate 5 6 7 — Very conservative Prefer not to say

Thank you!

Your responses have been recorded.

Debriefing note: This study examined how different types of news feeds affect understanding of real events. The event you read about — the shooting of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on May 15, 2024 — was real. Fico survived and recovered. Your participation helps us understand how media curation shapes what people learn from the news.