Saransh Ahuja, a behavioural science specialist from Magpie, explained the importance of narratives in the spread of misinformation at Journalism and Media Week 2026.
He said: “The real world is chaotic, and we want things to make sense, […] a narrative solves this.”
Saransh defined a narrative as a group of statements that come together to form a coherent story. They can be spread by a person, organisation, or a humanised object or idea.
Considering this group of statements, he said: “Once the human mind arrives at a simple conclusion […] it tends to stick to it.”
According to Saransh, this allows for misinformed stories to spread.
Narratives do not even have to be real to enact societal behavioural changes. A 2000 study by Melanie Green and Timothy Brock, highlighted by Saransh, showed that the communication of information and its corresponding beliefs were generally unaffected by labelling a story as fact or as fiction.
Instead, the way information is communicated (i.e. via narratives, statistical evidence, or itemised lists) is more important.
Saransh presented several studies, showing how even though statistical evidence distributed to the public may generate general attitudes and beliefs around the subject, narratives distributed to the public which humanise the subject create actual behavioural intentions.
He said: “Our critical thinking really drops when we’re absorbed in a story.”
Saransh highlighted three reasons as to why narratives are the perfect tool for misinformation:
- People crave intentional villains – it is easier to blame one subject rather than processing a complex societal issue.
- A blameless victim shuts down critical thinking – it isolates events rather than looking at the bigger picture.
- An emotionally engaged brain discounts factual inaccuracy – it does not matter if the narrative is fictional or debunked.
Considering the use of ‘scapegoating’ in the role of misinformation, he said: “What negative narratives do well is that they get the viewer’s attention.
“People pay more attention to them. People are able to recall them more strongly. So they’re just more far-reaching.”
For journalists and the media, Saransh discussed the importance of narrative framing and why journalists should consider the audience’s behavioural psychology.
He said: “In the professional space, specifically in journalism, [… you should consider] what makes [the audience] vulnerable, what they could be influenced by, then the moral responsibility on communicating with them ethically.
“That responsibility kind of lies with you.”
Saransh displayed a checklist for “ethical and compelling narratives” for journalists. The points he included were:
- Layer evidence with emotion.
- Aim for narrative completeness.
- Make the issue relatable.
- Design the overall takeaway strategically.
- Respect the cognitive vulnerability of the audience.
He said: “The main takeaway […] is read up on how psychology links to your field.
“See how people consume information, how they’re influenced by it, and strive to create more positive, more optimistic narratives.”
You can learn more about Saransh’s work at Magpie here.