Beyond partisan filters: Can underreported news reduce issue polarization?
While many news outlets aim for impartiality, 67% of Americans perceive their news sources as partisan, often presenting only one side of the story. This paper tests whether exposing individuals to news stories their political adversaries focus on can mitigate political polarization. In an experimen...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2024-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0297808&type=printable |
| _version_ | 1797301415705575424 |
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| author | Curtis Bram |
| author_facet | Curtis Bram |
| author_sort | Curtis Bram |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | While many news outlets aim for impartiality, 67% of Americans perceive their news sources as partisan, often presenting only one side of the story. This paper tests whether exposing individuals to news stories their political adversaries focus on can mitigate political polarization. In an experiment involving a real-world political newsletter-sent to participants who had opted to receive news that uncovers media biases-exposure to a specific story about refugee policy led respondents to reassess their positions. This reevaluation changed their stances on the issue and reduced the ideological distinctions they made between Democrats and Republicans. These findings underscore the need for future studies to untangle the specific circumstances where cross-partisan exposure can alter political attitudes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T23:22:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cbbfe0d667f44d6d8fca0da63492050d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T23:22:14Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-cbbfe0d667f44d6d8fca0da63492050d2024-02-21T05:31:43ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032024-01-01192e029780810.1371/journal.pone.0297808Beyond partisan filters: Can underreported news reduce issue polarization?Curtis BramWhile many news outlets aim for impartiality, 67% of Americans perceive their news sources as partisan, often presenting only one side of the story. This paper tests whether exposing individuals to news stories their political adversaries focus on can mitigate political polarization. In an experiment involving a real-world political newsletter-sent to participants who had opted to receive news that uncovers media biases-exposure to a specific story about refugee policy led respondents to reassess their positions. This reevaluation changed their stances on the issue and reduced the ideological distinctions they made between Democrats and Republicans. These findings underscore the need for future studies to untangle the specific circumstances where cross-partisan exposure can alter political attitudes.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0297808&type=printable |
| spellingShingle | Curtis Bram Beyond partisan filters: Can underreported news reduce issue polarization? PLoS ONE |
| title | Beyond partisan filters: Can underreported news reduce issue polarization? |
| title_full | Beyond partisan filters: Can underreported news reduce issue polarization? |
| title_fullStr | Beyond partisan filters: Can underreported news reduce issue polarization? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Beyond partisan filters: Can underreported news reduce issue polarization? |
| title_short | Beyond partisan filters: Can underreported news reduce issue polarization? |
| title_sort | beyond partisan filters can underreported news reduce issue polarization |
| url | https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0297808&type=printable |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT curtisbram beyondpartisanfilterscanunderreportednewsreduceissuepolarization |