The polarizing content warning: how the media can reduce affective polarization

  • Past research suggests that journalists can (unintentionally) exacerbate affective polarization when reporting on growing levels of polarization in society. However, is there a way for journalists to report on the realities of growing political polarization without dividing people further? In our research with five pre-registered experimental studies (N 1⁄4 3,414), we develop the polarizing content warning which, based on inoculation the- ory, warns readers that scientific research suggests reading news content about political polarization may drive further affective polarization. Results indicate that the polarizing content warning can be used both with online news articles and on social media sites, and is able to indirectly reduce affective polarization of readers. Additionally, the polarizing content warning is beneficial both when presented alongside news content and beforehand, and reduces readers’ perceptions of societal polarization, in turn reducing affective polarization. This warning allows journalists to report on societal polarization without further dividing people.

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Author:Emily Kubin, Christian von Sikorski
URN:urn:nbn:de:hbz:386-kluedo-86177
Parent Title (English):Human Communication research
Publisher:Oxford University Press
Place of publication:Oxford
Document Type:Article
Language of publication:English
Date of Publication (online):2024/04/07
Year of first Publication:2024
Publishing Institution:Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Universität Kaiserslautern-Landau
Date of the Publication (Server):2025/01/20
Tag:Polarization
Issue:2024, 50
Page Number:15
First Page:404
Last Page:418
Source:10.1093/hcr/hqae006
Faculties / Organisational entities:Landau - Fachbereich Psychologie
DDC-Cassification:1 Philosophie und Psychologie / 150 Psychologie
Collections:Open-Access-Publikationsfonds
Licence (German):Zweitveröffentlichung