Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The empirical study of the effects that news media consumption has on political participation has proliferated in recent years. In our study we test two competing models of news media effects. The direct model of media effects attempts to demonstrate the internal processes that occur given the consumption of news media where consumption leads to variation in support levels for specific forms of participation which ultimately effects a participatory action. The indirect model of media effects supposes that media consumption causes an action, joining a group, which then causes a participatory action. Political participation is tested as three separate acts: voting, informal participation, and protest. We test news media consumption by differentiating between three different mediums: newspaper, radio and television. We create hypotheses that anticipate positive and significant results for both models. The preliminary results of our OLS regressions of our pooled sample of six Central American countries find significant support for the indirect model of media effects. Through thorough analysis we demonstrate that the indirect model offers support for theoretical causation as well as the realization of empirical causation.