Priming and Fake News: The Effects of Elite Discourse on Evaluations of News Media

Fake news has become a prominent topic of public discussion, particularly among elites. Recent research has explored the prevalence of fake news during the 2016 election cycle and possible effects on electoral outcomes. This scholarship has not yet considered how elite discourse surrounding fake news may influence individual perceptions of real news. Through an experiment, this study explores the effects of elite discourse about fake news on the public’s evaluation of news media. Results show that exposure to elite discourse about fake news leads to lower levels of trust in media and less accurate identification of real news. Therefore, frequent discussion of fake news may affect whether individuals trust news media and the standards with which they evaluate it. This discourse may also prompt the dissemination of false information, particularly when fake news is discussed by elites without context and caution.     

The Effects of Mass Media Use and Social Capital on Civic and Political Participation

More recently, many scholars have lamented the decline of social capital, civic and political participation in American society. This study attempts to clarify the concept of social capital and its major components. We differentiate two dimensions of social capital: trust and social connectedness. In addition, we investigate the differential effects of a full range of media use on civic and political participation.

Analysis of data from a telephone survey in Clarksville, Tennessee in 2002 showed that people's social connectedness enhances both civic and political participation. Time spent in reading newspaper and watching public affairs on television was positively correlated with political participation whereas frequency of Internet use and entertainment TV viewing was not. The results also showed no correlation between media use and civic participation. Implications of the findings for future research on democratic citizenship were discussed.     

CHERNOBYL AND THE NUCLEAR POWER ISSUE IN SWEDEN: Experts, Media, and Public Opinion

On the advice of experts a large nuclear power program was introducedin Sweden and unanimously accepted by Parliament. Shortly afterwardsnuclear power became a heavily politicized issue with the politicalparties engaged pro and con. The accidents at Three Mile Islandand Chernobyl also had a strong impact on the opinion formation.It now seems, however, that after twenty years public opinionis slowly changing in the direction of the dominant views amongexperts.     

The Role of Communication in Public Opinion Processes: Understanding the Impacts of Intrapersonal, Media, and Social Filters

This study examined multiple factors associated with the processof public opinion including relevant predispositions, mediause, interpersonal discussion, and perceptions of communityopinion in order to test a theoretical model of public opinion.We conceptualized these factors as intrapersonal, media, andsocial ‘filters’ within the public opinion process.To test the impact of these filters, we conducted a survey withtwo independent samples—the first sample was collectedduring the introduction phase of a community ballot issue andthe second just a week before the issue vote. Findings indicateall three filters impacted public opinion regarding the ballotissue. Within these filters, important subprocesses were analyzedto better understand each filter's contribution to the formationof public opinion. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression equationsused to test the proposed process model revealed that the intrapersonalfilter accounted for a substantial amount of the overall variancein public opinion, but that media and social filters were alsoimportant predictors. Results highlight the importance of communicationvariables in the formation of public opinion. Received for publication May 4, 2006. Accepted for publication April 19, 2007.     

新媒体时代中国舆论监督的新议题:网络揭黑

网络揭黑指网民通过网络平台,借助网络舆论的力量,为维护社会公平正义,揭露事实真相,引起社会关注,从而引起政府相关部门重视并使事件得到迅速合理解决的行为。在我国传统媒体舆论监督功能缺失的情况下,网络揭黑是舆论监督开辟的一种新途径。实践证明,网络揭黑发挥出了摧枯拉朽的威力,不仅把一个个社会事件的真相揭发出来,而且促进政府对公共突发事件的重视,并在处理和应对公共突发事件中提高自己的执政能力。由于网民揭黑者置身新闻业外,缺少必要的新闻专业精神与媒介素养,不可避免地存在各种不规范的地方,对于这些问题必须引起重视,从自律和他律两个方面加以解决。     

媒体融合:广播电视舆论引导能力提升的新途径

本文认为,以科学发展观为统领,坚持观点立台,信息及时透明,进行议程设置,与公民媒体联动,拓展传播渠道,等等手段与方法,是全面提升广电媒体舆论引导能力的重要保障.     

Media Bias,Public Opinion,and Policy Liberalism from 1956 to 2004: A Second-Level Agenda-Setting Study

This study aims to explore second-level agenda-setting at the national level. In particular, it examines the relationships among the citation bias of the New York Times, national level public opinion, and Congressional policies from 1956 to 2004 in order to better understand mass media's role in national policymaking. In addition, it also tests one important intervening variable of the relationships among the three attribute agendas (the media agenda, the public agenda, and the policy agenda)—the president's policy liberalism.     

基于同群效应的网络舆论的形成与发展

网络舆论始于典型性的网络议题,普通网民在网络舆论发展过程中用“小力量”汇聚了“大能量”;在典型网络议题产生、网络舆论发展、网络舆论诱发网民现实行为等不同阶段,网民的同群效应起重要作用;网络环境的虚拟性、隐蔽性及网络社交媒体的“熟人传播”特征,是网民同群效应产生的前提条件.     

Contagious Media Effects: How Media Use and Exposure to Game-Framed News Influence Media Trust

The purpose of this study is to investigate the extent to which trust in media is affected by personal media use and the framing of politics as a strategic game. The study is based on a four-wave panel survey matched with media content data, which allows us to investigate not only correlations but also individual-level effects on media trust. In accordance with previous research, our analyses show that the use of specific media types leads to more trust in those specific media. The results also show that media framing of politics as a strategic game has a negative effect on trust in the media. The more citizens are exposed to game-framed news, the less they tend to trust the media, with the exception of tabloid newspapers. Overall, these results lend support to the assumption of contagious effects of game-framed news. In a concluding section, we sum up our results and discuss the implications of our findings.     

News-seekers and Avoiders: Exploring Patterns of Total News Consumption Across Media and the Relationship to Civic Participation

This study examines patterns of news consumption across multiple media platforms and relates them to civic participation. Analyzing a national sample of close to 25,000 respondents, nearly half the adult population in America is classified as news “Avoiders,” and the other half as “News-seekers.” Testing the relationship between civic participation and news consumption for each of 6 media platforms individually, and to an overall index combining those sources into 1 measure, the results show a positive relationship with civic participation, but the influence of Total News Consumption on civic participation is greater for Avoiders than for News-seekers.     

Competing Frames for a Public Health Issue and Their Effects on Public Opinion

This study examines the effects of goal framing on opinion about a public health issue. A content analysis of newspaper coverage regarding a New York City trans fat ban identified four frames, each of which invoked a policy goal (promoting public health or protecting business). An experiment tested the effects of goal framing on support for banning trans fat, as well as the effects of competition between frames invoking the same goal and competition between frames invoking different goals. The findings suggest that goal framing can shape opinion about public health issues but that competitive framing can undermine these effects.     

迈向多元取径：公众舆论、公共领域与公共性再辨析

李普曼的经典作品Public Opinion近来被再度重译,书名从《公众舆论》变成《舆论》,因为"舆论"被认为天然就来自"公众"。然而,哈贝马斯对于作为历史过程的"公众舆论"早有论证。对此新译书名的理解实际上反映出了长久以来中文学界对核心概念在语境和脉络上的混淆。因此,紧扣原典重读被广泛征引的哈贝马斯似仍有必要。该文立足于当前研究现状,更指出在数字媒介革命与公共生活议题甚嚣尘上的今天,我们还应竭力追求理论概念与观察视角的多样性,广泛汲取诸如言谈公共性、视觉公共性、具身公共性等路径。研究指出,就公众舆论、公共领域、公共性等议题而言,对其历史范畴的丰富性不加辨析当然不可取,而固执守定某一种公共性的倾向同样值得反思。     

Another Look at What Moves Public Opinion: Media Agenda Setting and Polls in the 2000 U.S. Election

This study examined two levels of media agenda effects on aggregatepublic opinion from different news sources. The effects wereinvestigated immediately and cumulatively. Content analysisdata from the 2000 U.S. presidential election coverage by fournational news organizations were related to the Gallup pre-electionpoll standings of each candidate. Regression analyses foundthat both the salience of a candidate and the salience of theattributes of a candidate cumulatively, but not immediately,influenced his standing in the polls. An analysis of news sourcessupported the finding that the two levels of agenda-settingeffects seemed mostly cumulative rather than immediate. Newsfrom different sources, however, tended to have effects of differentdegrees and sometimes different directions on candidate pollstandings. Cumulative effects of candidate salience on aggregateopinion change were found for non-partisan and neutral newssources—reporters, poll reporting and public documents—whereasthe effects of candidate attribute salience mostly came frompartisan sources—the candidate himself and members ofthe competing political party. Possible political implicationsof these findings are discussed.     

传统媒体微信公众号的新闻重构与传播效能

作为新兴的传播媒介,微信推进新闻生产和传播链条发生重大变化,传统的信息媒体构架被新型社交媒体消解和重构.处于融合创新背景下的传统媒体在新技术带来的机遇与挑战面前,积极创建微信公众号,探索新闻传播新模式.传统媒体微信公众号在信息编辑框架与推送方式、新闻传播观念与话语、个体体验与互动反馈等方面有一系列变革与创新,其新闻信息重构与传播效能的新变为媒介融合发展提供了重要的探索与思考.