News vs. Entertainment: How Increasing Media Choice Widens Gaps in Political Knowledge and Turnout
Prior asks why the growth of available public affairs information through cable television and the internet has not noticeably changed knowledge and civic participation. He argues that greater media choice makes it easier to find preferred content. People who like news use the abundance to learn more, while those who prefer entertainment leave the news and learn less about public affairs. He tests this with a measure of media content preference included in a representative survey of over two thousand residents of the United States.
Prior asks why the growth of available public affairs information through cable television and the internet has not noticeably changed knowledge and civic participation. He argues that greater media choice makes it easier to find preferred content. People who like news use the abundance to learn more, while those who prefer entertainment leave the news and learn less about public affairs. He tests this with a measure of media content preference included in a representative survey of over two thousand residents of the United States.
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Prior, M. (2005). News vs. Entertainment: How Increasing Media Choice Widens Gaps in Political Knowledge and Turnout. American Journal of Political Science, 49(3), 577-592. doi:10.1111/j.1540-5907.2005.00143.x