Friday, March 30, 2018
St. Clair (InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile)
What kind of print and broadcast media is most conducive to citizens’ political engagement is a fundamental question about the democratic role and performance of mass media. One issue hotly debated in professional journalist circles and among policy makers today is whether and how media outlets adopting partisan perspectives and advocating particular policy positions can play a positive role. We address this question using the European Media Systems Survey (an expert rating of media outlets). We use multilevel statistical models to link the macro-level data on factual accuracy, diversity of perspectives, and intensity of partisan and ideological commitments in national news media to survey data on political knowledge and interest in politics among citizens in EU member states to determine how citizens’ cognitive involvement correlate with political commitment in the news media net of other plausible determinants. The intensity of political commitments is negatively correlated with commitment to conventionally understood good journalism both across the media outlets and across countries, but both have sizeable positive effects on political engagement among citizens. Citizens’ ability to answer quiz questions about political facts in turn is higher, and its dependence on education lower, where public affairs coverage shows stronger commitment to accurate presentation of facts and a balanced presentation of rival political perspectives. Hence a public affairs coverage of the sort produced by some of Europe’s most reputable broadsheets, showing clear political commitments but at the same respect for accuracy and balance in coverage seems most conducive for these aspects of citizens’ engagement.
