Selective exposure, tolerance, and satirical news

Abstract

Partisan selective exposure, the tendency for citizens to select political information agreeing with their predispositions, has been widely demonstrated. This study draws from research on how citizens process information to evaluate whether satirical versus serious news influences selective exposure. The analysis also examines whether exposure to satirical news affects partisan tolerance compared with serious news or no news at all. An experiment was conducted where participants were randomly assigned to view a comedic and satirical political Web site, a serious Web site, or no Web site. Respondents' article selections were unobtrusively tracked. Results document that satirical news may lead people away from articles opposing their views and that it reduces tolerance for partisan views unlike one's own. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The World Association for Public Opinion Research. All rights reserved.