Effects of Journalistic Adjudication on Factual Beliefs,News Evaluations,Information Seeking,and Epistemic Political Efficacy |
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| Authors: | Raymond James Pingree Dominique Brossard Douglas M McLeod |
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| Institution: | 1. Manship School of Mass Communication , Louisiana State University;2. Department of Life Sciences Communication , University of Wisconsin-Madison;3. School of Journalism and Mass Communication , University of Wisconsin-Madison |
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| Abstract: | A frequent critique of contemporary journalism is that journalists rarely adjudicate factual disputes when covering politics; however, very little research has been done on the effects of such passive journalism on audiences. This study tests effects of active adjudication versus “he said/she said” journalism on a variety of outcomes, finding that adjudication can correct factual beliefs, increase perceived news quality, satisfy perceived informational needs, and increase the likelihood of future news use. However, for readers who were less interested in the issues under dispute, adjudication also reduced epistemic political efficacy, which is confidence in one's ability to find the truth in politics. |
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