TY - JOUR
T1 - How Affective Polarization Deepens the Partisan Divide in US Cable News Use Exploring the Mediating Role of Partisans' Bias Blind Spots in Media Credibility Judgment
AU - Kim, Youngju
AU - Kim, Yonghwan
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 Hogrefe Publishing.
PY - 2024/11/1
Y1 - 2024/11/1
N2 - Currently, not only are partisans' feelings toward Democrats and Republicans sharply divided along party lines, but so too are their choices regarding news media. Regarding this polarization, most studies have considered partisans' selective use of news outlets as a crucial factor in widening affective polarization. However, insufficient attention has been directed to the potential role of affective polarization in selective exposure. Accordingly, this study seeks to fill this gap by verifying the effect of affective polarization on selective exposure and examining a potential mechanism using two-wave panel data. Our findings demonstrate that the degree of affective polarization is positively related to partisan bias in the credibility judgment of pro-party and counter-party cable news channels. In turn, favorable in-group bias in the credibility judgment of cable news channels has a significant effect on selective exposure to cable news outlets, mediating the effect of individual-level affective polarization on selective exposure. Lastly, we discuss the theoretical implications of our findings.
AB - Currently, not only are partisans' feelings toward Democrats and Republicans sharply divided along party lines, but so too are their choices regarding news media. Regarding this polarization, most studies have considered partisans' selective use of news outlets as a crucial factor in widening affective polarization. However, insufficient attention has been directed to the potential role of affective polarization in selective exposure. Accordingly, this study seeks to fill this gap by verifying the effect of affective polarization on selective exposure and examining a potential mechanism using two-wave panel data. Our findings demonstrate that the degree of affective polarization is positively related to partisan bias in the credibility judgment of pro-party and counter-party cable news channels. In turn, favorable in-group bias in the credibility judgment of cable news channels has a significant effect on selective exposure to cable news outlets, mediating the effect of individual-level affective polarization on selective exposure. Lastly, we discuss the theoretical implications of our findings.
KW - affective polarization
KW - cable news
KW - credibility judgment
KW - partisan media
KW - selective exposure
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85186077256&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1027/1864-1105/a000414
DO - 10.1027/1864-1105/a000414
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85186077256
SN - 1864-1105
VL - 36
SP - 369
EP - 380
JO - Journal of Media Psychology
JF - Journal of Media Psychology
IS - 6
ER -