Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: The recent growth in opinionated cable news (i.e., news in which the anchor or host expresses a clear political point of view) has aroused concerns about its potential polarizing effects on public opinion – concerns which have not yet been subject to empirical scrutiny. Key to uncovering opinionated news’ impact on public opinion is an understanding of how audiences – particularly partisan audiences – process opinionated news: Do they engage in selective perception or acceptance as a means to protect their existing beliefs? Or, does sensitivity to the news’ non-objectivity prompt a more even-handed, even critical kind processing – irrespective of one’s prior predispositions? This paper addresses these questions by examining the effects of news opinionation – and its interaction with individual partisanship – on perceptions of bias and information processing. An experiment comparing audience responses to opinionated and non-opinionated news was conducted. Results indicate that while, overall, opinionated news is perceived as more biased and opinionated than traditional, objective formats, this is – in certain cases – contingent on partisanship. Further, to the extent that opinionated news is actually perceived as opinionated, it reduces biased message processing relative to non-opinionated news. Implications for theories of political information processing are discussed.