How Partisan Media Contributes to Healthy Politics
Description
The rise of new media, from Facebook and Twitter to The Huffington Post and The Daily Caller, has allowed consumers of news to ignore anything that challenges their prior beliefs. Purveyors of news and information now wear their political stripes openly. Conventional wisdom assumes that this increased partisanship, in both media and politics, is an unmitigated ill. But is partisanship really so bad? Research in psychology and political science suggests that this tug-of-war between opposing sides could be beneficial in some ways. When ideas are challenged – who better to question your position than your partisan opponent? – better ones emerge. And while technology has enabled the rise of divisive media and the formation of closed thought bubbles, it could be harnessed to facilitate greater deliberation. This panel, featuring a political scientist and two journalists with extensive experience covering politics, will discuss the ways partisan media can contribute to healthy politics.
Questions Answered
- Is partisanship always a bad thing?
- What role do partisan media outlets play in the public discourse?
- Can partisan and nonpartisan media outlets survive and coexist in a healthy way?
- How can we use technology to combine the best of new media (e.g. increased political engagement) with the best of old media (e.g. curation and exposure to different viewpoints)?
- Can media and politics adjust to accommodate the increased polarization of the last several decades?
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Speakers
- Christina Bellantoni PBS NewsHour
- James Kirchick Foundation for Defense of Democracies
- John Sides George Washington University
Organizer
Nick Naroditski Partisans Media
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