Can Partisan News Be Valuable for Discussion? An Analysis of the Effects of Internal Balance on Online Discussion Intention
Year: 2015
Type: article
Abstract: What can be the effect of the simultaneous increase in online news seeking and exposure and the tendency for online news to be partisan? This study examines the effects of online partisan news on intention to engage in two online discussion dimensions: withdrawal and civil discussion. The novel notion of internal balance is advanced to determine the degree of balance or lack thereof (partisanship) within news stories. The effects are tested in two traditionally different media systems, the United States and Spain, using a controlled experiment. Results demonstrate that partisan news leads to less withdrawal and more civil discussion intention compared to balanced news. Moreover, results are consistent in both countries, thereby suggesting a democratic value for partisan news.
Author: Eulàlia P. Abril
Institution: University of Illinois Chicago
Language: English
Topic: Media Influence and Politics
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W1540982898