Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Previous research has documented that public attitudes toward the news media have become dramatically more negative over that past 35 years. At the same time that public confidence in the press has declined, political scientist have become increasingly adept at demonstrating the massive influence the media exert over public opinion. This paper examines the question of what effect public attitudes towards the press have on the news media’s ability to influence the public beliefs. To do this, I utilize a Bayesian model of persuasion to develop predictions of the consequences if source judgments do play an important role in media influence. I then test these predictions using three very different datasets: a cross-sectional survey, a panel survey, and an experiment. The results from all three datasets confirm that those with positive feelings towards the media are more influenced by media messages than those with negative feelings. I briefly discuss the implications of these findings for democratic accountability.