New findings challenge simplistic views of partisan media consumption.
The Setup
This study improves upon previous research by using a week-long online news portal with randomly assigned feeds that feature either in-party or out-party media outlets.
What We Found
- Sustained exposure to out-party news (Fox News for Democrats) reduced perceptions of unfairness toward the opposing outlet.
- This effect was not observed when Democrats repeatedly consumed MSNBC, their own party's outlet.
- In contrast, repeated exposure to in-party news increased Republican beliefs that Fox News is unfair.
So What?
These results update our understanding of how partisan media consumption operates beyond short-term experiments. They suggest the online news environment has more complex effects on political perceptions than previously thought.
