mass comm research project

Running head: MEDIUM AND PARTY AFFILIATION 1

Evaluating the Connection between News Consumer’s Choice Medium and Party Affiliation

Justin C. Baker

University of Nebraska at Omaha

MEDIUM AND PARTY AFFILIATION 2

Abstract

The proceeding study is an investigation of media and its effects on political affiliation, focusing

in terms of the media format. There were a total of 55 participants for the survey, with 40 of them being

female and the other 15 male. The respondents were split into 3 categories by age. 36 were between

19-40 years of age, 15 were between 40-60 years old, and the remaining 4 were age 60+.

To gather responses to the survey, the researcher created on an online survey through Google

Drive, and posted a link it on his Facebook social media page. Also, the researcher emailed the link to

students and teachers in courses he was currently taking during that semester. After 4 days, the

researcher gathered all responses and began data analysis with the SPSS statistical data program.

A surprising finding is that, out of the 9 that believe media discusses politics over 50% of the

time, 8 thought it tended to be more liberally biased. The most surprising finding is that news

consumers don’t most often use the medium they perceive to be most accurate and fair to get their

news. Out of the 22 that chose blogs and online newspapers as their primary source of news, only 27.2%

also agreed that these online news sources are the most accurate and fair. Similar correlations occurred

with other news sources. The chi-squared test determined the data to be of significance, with an

asymptotic significance (2-sided, 16 degrees freedom) of .000.

This finding reveals that most consumers are not evaluating what news source they use

primarily on journalistic integrity anymore. Other factors must be becoming more important than truth

and fairness in the news, especially online with its virtually limitless capabilities for interactivity. This

shift in the public’s priorities for the news content they choose to consume has far-reaching implications

for the field of journalism, which eventually must successfully make the shift to providing primarily

online media content.


Introduction

According to a Forrester survey of 58,000 internet users over the span of four years, it was

found that the number of hours a week spent reading paper newspapers, watching television, and

listening to the radio has been on a steady decline. (Gannes, 2012) Also, internet usage appeared to

have declined in 2012 from the year before, but the analysts attributed this to the fact that the public

perception of what it means to “go online” has changed. When the majority of the surveyed public is

virtually always online, such things as checking Facebook on a cellphone or using Google maps for

directions is not considered using the internet. (Gannes, 2012)

Much of the research out there that discusses political content in the media focuses on bias,

especially within television news organizations. For instance, Morris’ study revealed that 22 percent of

Republicans reported using Fox News as their primary source of political information. (2007, 711) That

being said, there doesn’t seem to be much that discusses the various other forms of media and how

they compare on political content. The aim of this study is to evaluate the extent of political content in

each medium, and try to determine any trend within each that politically leans one way or the other.

This may lead to a better idea of how bias is perpetuated, and the effect perceived bias has on the

public.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether or not there is any correlation between the

public’s primary source of news, i.e. newspaper or national television, and their political party affiliation.

Demographic information will be taken into account, which is likely to pinpoint some trends. If the data

is statistically significant, it will warrant discussion of the possible explanations for the revealed patterns.

The research is for class purposes only, and because it does not have IRB approval, the results will not be

shared.


Literature Review

There is no question that media has become more prolific and diverse in this digital modern age

we live in. Where people once would receive all of our news from the newspaper, it then moved to

broadcast radio and television, and now there is the internet with its wide array of formats to inform the

public of current events. The tremendous information available through online content gives modern

society limitless variability, leading to a phenomenon known as audience fragmentation. The review of

literature on the subject has revealed astonishing connections between internet, fragmentation, and

political polarization. However, because internet is still so new, much is still left to be discovered as to

how this phenomenon of fragmentation translates for members of the political sphere.

The Internet

The digital generation that is now growing into adulthood was introduced to the internet as

children, and has grown up with the World Wide Web ever at their fingertips. This is transforming the

very field of journalism itself. “The news represents the sort of content least interesting to the digital

generation who may be practicing citizenship by other means, but generally steer clear of the decidedly

flat, one-way conventional news information.” (Bennet & Iyengar, 2008, 718) This means that, to attract

the digital generation, such traditional media as print newspapers and local television have to adapt to

the modern interactivity that the internet provides.

In some ways, the internet is just a supplement to traditional forms of media like the

newspaper, a platform for the delivery of media content that is available in other formats. However, in

many other ways, the internet is entirely different from other existing media. “Internet provides the

infrastructure necessary to facilitate the distribution of all forms of self-produced media to a potentially

far-flung audience.” (Croteau, 2006, 340-341)


With the advent of the internet, media has been given virtually unlimited room to grow, leading

to a wide array of choices for the consumer. According to a 2007 study by Jae Kook, there are two

opposing schools of thought about this. One school contends that media’s diversification will result in

the fragmentation of public opinion. The other predicts that, despite the plethora of media outlets, the

news and information provided to the public are highly redundant, so media’s effect will remain

unchanged. (745)

Audience Fragmentation

Many scholars have come to regard the media as an institution integral to governance, but

“public confidence in media, journalism, and information is alarmingly low.” (Bennett & Iyengar, 2008,

713) To make matters worse, younger generations in many nations are breaking away from consuming

news and learning about government and public affairs. (Bennett & Iyengar, 2008, 713) This may be

partly because it was found there is growing evidence that the modern media environment has led to

the discontinuation of casual consumers from news to more entertaining programs. (Hollander, 2008,

33)

As mentioned earlier, consumers are taking interactivity and fragmentation a step further, with

the availability of self-produced media content. Internet has provided ease-of-access to a variety of

information forums, from web pages to blogs to tweets, for members of the public to begin trying to do

the job of traditional journalists. As Croteau identified in a 2006 study, “scattered individuals in small

groups with common interests can add up to a sizeable audience for self-produced media.” (341)

“Audience fragmentation is a serious threat to the healthy functioning of democracy,” and new

technologies that are emerging and accessing the internet have the potential to piece apart the

audience. (Jae Kook, 2007, 755) However, the diversification of media available does not necessarily


translate to a politically-fragmented audience, as long as a similar agenda is shared across the media

spectrum.

One form of self-produced media that is becoming widely popular is the blog, short for ‘web

log.’ From an analysis of blog posts and mainstream media news stories during the 2004 presidential

campaign, it was found that the blog agenda is similar to that of mainstream media. Despite the

diversification of information channels, people are likely exposed to a fairly stable agenda cross

mainstream media and internet news outlets. (Jae Kook, 2007, 745)

Political Polarization

A stable agenda throughout the media does not mean it is a united agenda though, especially in

the realm of politics. Undoubtedly, the news media often speak on topics of government and politics.

That was one of the major factors that led to the development of mass media, the fact that it was up to

someone to inform the public more thoroughly of those they’re electing into office. It was also designed

to keep the politicians in check while in office, to ensure they fulfill their duty to the public.

However, somewhere along the way, this common goal for mass communication seems to have

changed. The mainstream news media was once perceived as a remedy for the homogenous

interpersonal network. Now, it appears to be evolving into a similar information environment, one likely

to lead to greater polarization among the U.S. electorate. (Hollander, 2008, 23) People have been

provided with various opportunities to preselect the ideological perspective of the political content they

encounter. This allows them to fragment themselves into narrow interest groups and ultimately polarize

along ideological lines. (Warner, 2010, 430).

For instance, Fox News is often criticized for its conservative bias, which is one of the least

subtle. The blatant political agenda is very economic in nature. It’s all about reaching a target audience,


which is primarily conservative. Fox News appeals to those individuals who have “become disillusioned

with what they perceive as a liberally-biased mainstream media.” In doing so, The Fox News Channel has

become the main beneficiary of television news fragmentation. (Morris, 2007, 707)

Members of the public are becoming more aware of the existence of bias in the media, but they

don’t always perceive it, especially if it reinforces their own bias. In concurrence with a study by Perloff

in 1989 and another by Vallone, Ross, and Lepper in 1985, individuals who see bias in political news

reporting tend to believe that the direction of the bias is counter to their own political beliefs. (Morris,

2007, 709) Specific political ideology plays a factor in how the perception of bias affects one’s attitudes,

too. The results of Warner’s 2010 study demonstrated that “exposure to ideological homogeneity did

drive attitude extremism in the conservative condition but not in the liberal condition.” (430)

Research Questions

All these factors, and more, are challenging the way political media is presented, who is

receiving it, and how they are interpreting it. What is necessary is to evaluate the distribution of political

content and determine the extent of influence that media fragmentation has had on political

communication. The goal for this study is to help define these variables, which leads me to three

primary research questions:

RQ1: How does one’s primary source of news influence their political affiliation, if at all?

RQ2: What correlation is there between the perceived amount of political content in the media

and the public’s perception of bias?

RQ3: What does one’s age reveal about that media consumer’s choice of a primary news source?


Methodology

Participants

The target population is every citizen of voting age. To be more specific, it will be men and

women that are at least 19 years old. The minimum age requirement is 19, because in the state of

Nebraska, where the study was conducted, one is still legally a minor until reaching the age of 19. Key to

the validity of the study, the respondents must be representative of the American population, and they

must be able to register to vote.

The sample will be selected by convenience, as all will be associates of the researcher. They will

be split into demographic categories of age and gender. The respondents will be separated into three

age brackets, 19-40, 40-60 and 60+. There will roughly be an equal number of men and women

respondents. For this study, the researcher will strive for 80 responses. All participants will remain

anonymous.

Measures

First, the questionnaire (refer to Appendix B) will be posted on the internet through a survey

website and the researcher will issue a request through social media sites to gather responses. The first

question in the online survey is the informed consent statement (refer to Appendix A). The respondents

will have the choice of proceeding to the beginning of the survey by clicking ‘continue’, or the option of

not going through with the survey by clicking ‘decline’.

After an allotted time period of 48 hours, the researcher will assess the demographics of the

respondents. It is not expected that the internet respondents will be an equal distribution across age

and gender, so additional steps will be taken. The researcher will evaluate which groups are

underrepresented, and determine the best avenues to reach those demographics.


Results

Political Orientation and Primary News Source

The first research question is aimed to reveal any trends between the respondents’ political

affiliation and their preference of news medium, or source. There were no observable trends for

Democrats, which made up 16.4% of respondents, as they were nearly equally distributed among NPR,

TV, online, and mobile news preferences. The same goes for Libertarians, who made up only 10.9% of

respondents, with nearly equal distribution throughout preferential medium. However, there are

several interesting findings from the Republican and Independent demographics.

Republicans most prefer local/national TV to get their news, with half of them saying they prefer

television. Of the 20 Republicans surveyed, it is of interest to note that only 6 said they mostly watch Fox

when watching the television for news, and only 4 of those 6 said that they get most of their news from

TV. Not one Republican chose the newspaper as their preferential news medium, which is interesting

considering 60% of Republicans were over age 40 and above. It was hypothesized that the older

generations, who have not grown up along with the internet, would be more apt to choose a medium

like the newspaper that they can physically hold in their hands.

Another unexpected finding is that, of the 20 total surveyed, 7 Republicans were females

between the age of 19 and 40, and only one male in that age bracket identified himself as a Republican.

This was unexpected, considering that, historically, the Republican Party has predominantly consisted of

older white males.

One-fifth of respondents identified themselves as Independent, and 83.3% Independent

respondents are young people (19-40). This finding was expected, since it was hypothesized that young

people tend to be more wary of the two-party political system that has become the norm in the United


States. However expected, the data are still significant in revealing a measurable trend of young people

deciding to be neither Democrats nor Republicans.

Young people and Independents tend to get most of their news online, with 61.1% of

Independents getting their news on the web, and 17 out of 36 between the ages of 19-40 getting most

of their news the same way. Another noteworthy finding is that 77.8% of Independents said that the

news they consume discusses politics less than 25 percent of the time. This could affect how informed

they are on the candidates before elections.

Political Content and Bias

The second research question asks whether there is any correlation between the amount of

political content observed by news consumers and the public’s perception of bias within the news they

consume. A surprising finding is this: the greater the political content within the media, the less it tends

to be a conservative bias.

In fact, of the 9 respondents that said over 50% of the news they consume discusses politics, 8

of them said it tended to be a more liberal bias. This is of significance, because there was roughly an

equal amount of respondents observing both liberal and conservative bias, with 26 answering liberal

and 24 answering conservative.

5 of the 55 respondents claimed to not perceive bias in the media, but those same five also said

that less than 25% of the news they consume discusses politics. The relatively little amount of political

content they encounter may affect whether or not they perceive a bias, be it liberal or conservative. 3 of

the 5 that do not perceive bias consider themselves to be Independents, which is an interesting side-

note.


The most significant finding does not technically answer any portion of the research question,

because it does not factor in the amount of political content. However, it is inextricably related to the

topic of media bias perception and primary news source. The proceeding chart, created only after the

researcher postulated that it may be worthwhile to compare data from two similar survey questions, is

the only correlation that is found to be statistically significant by the Pearson chi-square test.

Newspaper NPR TV Online Mobile0

5

10

15

20

25

MatchTotal

The chart above juxtaposes the total number of respondents that prefer each respective news

medium, in red, to the number of respondents that likewise perceive that medium to be the most

accurate and fair, in blue. Obviously, aside from the newspaper, the red columns are taller than the blue

columns. Translated, this means that nearly half of the respondents--actually 47.3%--do not prefer to

get their news from the same medium that they perceive to be most accurate and fair.

This finding was the only one found to be truly statistically significant after cross-tabulation.

Using the Pearson Chi-Square test, it is calculated that the asymptotic significance for this data is .000,

the furthest number possible away from the maximum of .05 required to be of statistical significance.


With 16 degrees of freedom, the value calculated for the chi-square test is 48.240. This is well above any

value for 16 degrees of freedom found in the chi-squared table of values (refer to Appendix C),

reaffirming the statistical significance of this finding.

Age and Primary News Source

The third research question was constructed to evaluate whether there is a correlation between

the news consumer’s age and their preference of news medium. Unsurprisingly, young people are more

inclined to get their news online, with 77.3% of those who say they get their news online being between

the ages of 19 and 40. Young people are also the main demographic to get their news from mobile apps,

as 70% of those who get their news from mobile apps are in the 19-40 category. That gives a total of

two-thirds of young people who say they mostly get their news from some sort of digital device with

internet capability.

32.7% of respondents said that they browse the internet for more than ten hours a week on

average. Of the 25 that browse the internet for more than ten hours in any given week, 12 of them are

between the ages of 19 and 40. That is one-third of all young people surveyed. Interestingly, two-thirds

of those 40-60 said they browse the internet for more than ten hours a week, and three-quarters of

those over age 60 surveyed browse the internet for that long.

Those respondents that were ages 40 and above tended to get most of their news from

television, with 9 out of 19 saying they prefer local/national television. However, TV was most preferred

by only a slim margin. Out of those 19 age 40+, 5 get their news online and 3 get it from mobile apps. A

related significant finding is that older adults also tend to check their news more often than younger

adults. Two-thirds of respondents in the 40-60 age bracket said they check the news several times a day,

and three-fourths that were above the age of 60 checks the news with the same frequency. Only one-

third of young people said they check the news more than once a day.


Discussion

The results of the study identify several interesting trends among news consumers, their ages,

and how their choice medium relates to political affiliation. There were several patterns revealed, but

they will not be mentioned in this section because, in actuality, they are not considered to be of

statistical significance. This may be because of the limited nature of the study, which had only 55

respondents that were unevenly distributed among key demographics. Only one finding was confirmed

as statistically significant by the Pearson chi-square test, so this will be what is discussed.

It was found that nearly half of respondents do not prefer to get their news from the same

medium that they identified as the most accurate, and fair. This is especially true of those that said they

get their news primarily online or from mobile apps. In these categories, only 50 percent or less of the

respondents that prefer online or mobile media also agree that it is the most truthful.

This observed phenomenon has tremendous implications for the field of journalism, and is likely

due to a combination of a multitude of factors. However, three are key:

1. the pervasiveness of digital devices

2. the nature of internet-based media

3. the impossibility of governing online content

In developed nations, the computer has become a centerpiece of the household, and a vast

majority of homes equipped with at least one form of computer. Increasingly, these computers are

becoming portable, with laptops and tablets usually equipped with wireless internet access. In the case

of smartphones with 3G+ capability, which are becoming the norm, the internet can be accessed almost

anywhere, at any time of day. This pervasiveness of internet capability allows unfettered access to

online content, greatly contributing to the shift toward digital news media.


The internet provides content that is instant, easily altered and/or updated, and essentially

limitless. Many who prefer the internet for their news probably do so because they are using it for many

other means at the same time, like social media and entertainment. Even in light of growing evidence

that the modern media environment has led to the discontinuation of casual consumers from news to

more entertaining programs (Hollander, 2008), it is nearly impossible to not be occasionally confronted

with news content, especially on social media websites. Also, the internet establishes itself as a forum

that can readily merge written word with audio/visual content, something impossible in traditional

forms of media.

Journalists are getting better at adapting their skills to the digital world, but the traditional forms

of media—newspapers, radio, television—are what most still practice. These forms of media are what

they learned to produce during their studies, and the ingrained habits of their profession are surely hard

to shake. They’ve had to learn to write condensed stories that take up the least amount of space, or pick

and choose photographs or sound bites, or write scripts. Many have become masters of their trade, and

the lack of an online presence from a greater majority of these respectable and trustworthy journalists

may be a contributing factor to the public’s wariness of news media on the internet.

There is another key difference that separates traditional media from new (online) media:

highly-developed professional organizations. Normally, to be a successful journalist, one has to be

employed by an esteemed institution of journalism. These institutions are tremendously organized,

staffed, reliable, and have well-defined codes that members must adhere to, like: dress codes, codes of

conduct, or codes of ethics, to name a few. The public trusts and respects these established institutions,

because they have existed for decades, some even for centuries. Traditionally, such organizations

govern published content, but because of the liberties granted to producers of online media, which can

be done without paying a dime, it is becoming more difficult to do this.


Conclusion

There are several weaknesses to the study conducted. For one, there was an unequal

distribution of key demographics. There were more than twice as many female respondents as male

respondents, and the age brackets were definitely not equally distributed. Over half of respondents

were between the ages of 19-40, with only 34.5% above the age of 40, nearly one-third less than

required. This makes it essentially impossible to make any accurate determination about age differences

across the media spectrum, and therefore leaves the third research question unanswered.

However, despite these faults, the study revealed a few surprising findings that can be deemed

independent of age and gender. For instance, those respondents that identify themselves as

Independents are most inclined to get their news from blogs or online newspapers. Also, the less

political content consumed unsurprisingly results in less bias perceived, but as more political content is

consumed, the more it is perceived to have a liberal bias. The most important discovery from the study

is that most respondents do not get most of their news from the source they perceive to be most

accurate and fair.

For future research, it would be best to reach more participants. A total of 55 is sufficient for

this study, which was conducted for class purposes, but further research should strive for at least a

thousand participants. This would make the research more statistically valid. Also, the participants

chosen will need to have a roughly equal distribution across age and gender. The questionnaire could

also be expanded to allow for more trends to be tested and observed, and repeat questions should be

placed randomly throughout to increase the reliability.


Works Cited

Bennett, W., & Iyengar, S. (2008). A New Era of Minimal Effects? The Changing Foundations of

Political Communication. Journal of Communication, 58(4), 707-731.

Croteau, D. (2006). The Growth of Self-Produced Media Content and the Challenge to Media

Studies. Critical Studies In Media Communication, 23(4), 340-344.

Gannes, L. (2012). Nobody “Goes Online” Anymore. From the All Things D website, accessed

Dec. 9, 2012 at: http://allthingsd.com/20121017/nobody-goes-online-anymore/?

mod=googlenews_editors_picks&google_editors_picks=true

Jae Kook, L. (2007). The Effect of the Internet on Homogeneity of the Media Agenda: A Test of

the Fragmentation Thesis. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 84(4), 745-760.

Hollander, B. A. (2008). Tuning Out or Tuning Elsewhere? Partisanship, Polarization, and Media

Migration from 1998 to 2006. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 85(1), 23-40.

Morris, J. S. (2007). Slanted Objectivity? Perceived Media Bias, Cable News Exposure, and

Political Attitudes. Social Science Quarterly (Blackwell Publishing Limited), 88(3), 707-728.

Warner, B. R. (2010). Segmenting the Electorate: The Effects of Exposure to Political Extremism

Online. Communication Studies, 61(4), 430-444.


Appendix A: Informed Consent

“The general purpose of the survey will be to evaluate news consumers’ preferences. This

survey is for class purposes only and the results will not be distributed. During the survey, you

will be asked several questions regarding your media consumption, political affiliation, and

demographic information. If you decide during the questionnaire that you do not wish to

continue, you may withdraw at any time without penalty. By clicking ‘continue’, you imply that

you agree to these conditions.”

Appendix B: Questionnaire

1) Informed consent

2) How often do you check the news?

a. Several times a day

b. Once a day

c. 3-5 times a week

d. 1-2 times a week

e. A few times a month

f. Once a month

3) Of the following list of media, choose the medium you use most often to check the news.

a. Newspaper

b. National Public Radio

c. Local/National TV

d. Blogs/ Online Newspaper

e. Mobile Apps


4) Of the following list of media, identify the medium you perceive to be the most accurate and

fair.

a. National Public Radio

b. Mobile Apps

c. Blogs/ Online Newspaper

d. Newspaper

e. Local/ National TV

5) Do you perceive bias in the media?

a. Yes

b. No

6) If you do perceive bias in the media, does it tend to be a more liberal or conservative?

a. Liberal

b. Conservative

c. Do not perceive bias

7) Would you stop getting news from your preferred medium if you did perceive a bias?

a. Yes

b. No

8) Of the following national TV news stations, which do you watch the most?

a. CNN

b. FOX

c. MSNBC

d. ABC News

e. CBS News

f. None of the above


9) Of the following newspapers, which do you read the most?

a. Omaha World-Herald

b. USA Today

c. New York Times

d. Community Newspapers

e. I do not read the newspaper

f. Other, please specify: __________

10) Do you have any news apps on your mobile device?

a. Yes

b. No

11) What kind of mobile device do you own?

a. iPhone

b. iPad/Tablet

c. Windows Phone

d. Android

e. I do not own a mobile device

f. Other, please specify: __________

12) How much time do you spend browsing the internet a week?

a. Less than 1 hour

b. 1-3 hours

c. 3-5 hours

d. 5-10 hours

e. More than 10 hours

13) Which news website have you visited the most?


a. Huffington Post

b. CNN

c. FOX

d. ABC News

e. Online Newspaper

f. Other, please specify: ______________

g. Don’t use online news

14) How much of the media content you consume discusses politics?

a. Less than 10%

b. 10%-25%

c. 25%-50%

d. 50%-75%

e. Greater than 75%

15) For which elections do you vote? (check all that apply)

a. Not registered

b. Registered, but have never voted

c. Presidential elections

d. National elections

e. State elections

f. Local elections

16) In one sentence, what was your reaction to the results of the 2012 presidential election?

17) How satisfied are you with media coverage of the 2012 presidential election?

a. Not at all satisfied

b. Slightly satisfied


c. Neutral

d. Mostly satisfied

e. Completely satisfied

18) How much influence would you say the media had on the outcome of the 2012 presidential

election?

a. No influence

b. Little influence

c. Reasonable influence

d. Significant influence

e. Overwhelming influence

19) What political party do you identify yourself with?

a. Democrat

b. Republican

c. Independent

d. Libertarian

e. Green

f. Other (specify): _______

20) What is your gender?

a. Female

b. Male

c. Other

21) What is your age?

a. 19-40

b. 40-60


c. 60+

22) What is your highest level of education?

a. Some High school

b. High school Diploma

c. Some College

d. Associate’s Degree

e. Bachelor’s Degree

f. Master’s Degree

g. Doctorate

23) What is your average annual income?

a. Less than $10,000

b. $10,000-$30,000

c. $30,000-$60,000

d. $60,000-$100,000

e. $100,000-$250,000

f. At least $250,000

24) What is your ethnicity? (check all that apply)

a. American Indian or Alaska Native

b. Mexicano

c. Latino

d. Asian

e. Black or African-American

f. Hawaii Native or Pacific Islander

g. White


h. Spaniard

i. Other, please specify: __________

Appendix C: Chi-Square Test

Naugler, Thomas (2009). Accessed at:

http://velocebit.com/Courseware/Statistics/Common%20Files/Chi-Square%20Tests/Chi-Square

%20Tests.htm

mass comm research project

Documents

medium andparty affiliation

news consumers choice

fairnessinthe news

party affiliation justin

extentof political contentin

andthe remaining4were

participantsforthe survey

responsestothe survey