Polarization and partisanship: Key drivers of distrust in media old and new?

Journal article

Abstract:: Some worry that increased partisanship is lowering trust in the news media, as people increasingly come into contact with cross-cutting news coverage. We use multilevel analysis of online survey data from 35 countries and find that left-right partisans (1) have slightly less trust in the news media in general, (2) slightly higher levels of trust in the news they consume and (3) perceive a larger ‘trust gap’ between the news they use and the rest of the news available within their country. However, we do not find evidence to support the idea that people in more politically polarized countries have less trust in the news, or that the association between partisanship and trust is strengthened in polarized political environments. Although in most cases the relationship between partisanship and trust is weak, it is noticeably stronger in the United States. However, the United States is home to a unique media system, and our analysis highlights the problems of assuming that the processes at work in one relatively well-understood country are playing out in the same way globally.

Files:: polarization and partisanship

(Accepted manuscript, 599.6KB, Terms of use)

Language:: English
Keywords:: media systems

FFR

political communication,

journalism

political communication

International communication
Pubs id:: 1099167
Local pid:: pubs:1099167
Deposit date:: 2020-04-10

Copyright holder:: Suiter and Fletcher
Notes:: This is the accepted manuscript version of the article. The publisher's version is available from SAGE Publications at: https://doi.org/10.1177/0267323120903685

Licence:: Terms and Conditions of Use for Oxford University Research Archive

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