Reconsidering ‘virtuous circle’and ‘media malaise’theories of the media : an 11-nation study

Curran, J; Coen, S; Soroka, S; Hayashi, K; Hichy, Z; Iyengar, S; Jones, P; Mazzoleni, G; Papathanassopoulos, S; Rhee, JW; Rowe, D; Tiffen, R

Abstract

This study, based on a content analysis of television news and survey in eleven nations,
explores the split between those who see the media as politically alienating and others
who see the media as encouraging greater political involvement. Here, we suggest that
both positions are partly right. On the one hand, television news, and in particular public
service television news, can be very effective in imparting information about public
affairs and promoting a culture of democracy in which news exposure, public affairs
knowledge, sense of democratic competence and political interest feed off each other.
On the other hand, the views represented in public affairs news are overwhelmingly
those of men and elites, which can discourage identification with public life

Citation

Curran, J., Coen, S., Soroka, S., Hayashi, K., Hichy, Z., Iyengar, S., …Tiffen, R. (2014). Reconsidering ‘virtuous circle’and ‘media malaise’theories of the media : an 11-nation study. Journalism, 15(7), 815-833. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884913520198

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: Feb 25, 2014
• Publication Date: Oct 1, 2014
• Deposit Date: Apr 8, 2015
• Journal: Journalism
• Print ISSN: 1464-8849
• Electronic ISSN: 1741-3001
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 15
• Issue: 7
• Pages: 815-833
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884913520198
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1464884913520198
• Related Public URLs: http://jou.sagepub.com/content/15/7/815