TY - JOUR
T1 - Elite Cues, News Coverage, and Partisan Support for Compromise
AU - McLaughlin, Bryan
AU - McLeod, Douglas M.
AU - Davis, Catasha
AU - Perryman, Mallory
AU - Mun, Kwansik
N1 - Funding Information:
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This study was supported by funds from the William T. Evjue Centennial Professorship in Journalism and Mass Communication.
Publisher Copyright:
© Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication.
PY - 2017/9/1
Y1 - 2017/9/1
N2 - In accordance with self-categorization theory, this study predicts that because elite cues affect partisans' perceptions of group norms, news coverage of political gridlock should influence partisans' willingness to endorse compromise. Results of two experimental studies, where Republican and Democratic samples read a news story in which group leaders were either willing or unwilling to compromise, largely support our expectations. However, we also find evidence that willingness to compromise can depend on the specific issue context, as well as pre-existing attitudes. These results further our understanding of how media coverage affects the functioning of democracy in the United States.
AB - In accordance with self-categorization theory, this study predicts that because elite cues affect partisans' perceptions of group norms, news coverage of political gridlock should influence partisans' willingness to endorse compromise. Results of two experimental studies, where Republican and Democratic samples read a news story in which group leaders were either willing or unwilling to compromise, largely support our expectations. However, we also find evidence that willingness to compromise can depend on the specific issue context, as well as pre-existing attitudes. These results further our understanding of how media coverage affects the functioning of democracy in the United States.
KW - elite cues
KW - group norms
KW - news coverage
KW - political compromise
KW - political polarization
KW - self-categorization theory
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85028695894&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/1077699016655755
DO - 10.1177/1077699016655755
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85028695894
VL - 94
SP - 862
EP - 882
JO - Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly
JF - Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly
SN - 1077-6990
IS - 3
ER -