The Press, Politics, and Polarization

There is a fascinating yet potentially dangerous transformation currently taking place in American political journalism. We are witnessing the return of a purely partisan press. At the dawn of the 19th Century, John Fenno's Gazette of the United States propagated the views of the Federalist Party and Philip Freneau's National Gazette served as a mouthpiece for Jeffersonian Republicans. Now, at the turn of the 21st Century, we have Keith Olberman of MSNBC and Sean Hannity at FOX.

This transformation has resulted in journalistic homophily. By virtue of our media choices we are self-segregating ourselves based upon political affiliation. Indeed, a 2008 Rasmussen poll found that 63% of MSNBC viewers voted for Barack Obama and only 30% voted for John McCain. An astounding 87% of FOX viewers voted for McCain and only 9% voted for Obama.

The danger of this transformation is that it may engender extremism. In Going to Extremes, Cass Sunstein cites substantial evidence that when people self-segregate in groups of like-minded types, they are likely to move to more extremist positions. This occurs because group members are less likely to be exposed to opposing viewpoints. The echo chamber that results amplifies and radicalizes preexisting views. This polarization process is exhibited by groups ranging from the Nation of Islam and Al-Qaeda to 9-11 conspiracy theorists and the so-called "birthers".

It is incumbent upon all of us to resist the pull of polarization. We must make an effort to expose ourselves to various sources of information and people of diverse backgrounds with divergent opinions. It is not a simple task. Human beings tend to be rationalizing, as opposed to rational, agents. Even when we are exposed to facts that contradict our preexisting opinions, we often simply discredit or ignore that information. Sociologist Steven Hoffman, visiting assistant professor at the University at Buffalo, found that 98% of respondents who believed that Saddam Hussein was involved in the 9-11 attacks continued to hold that opinion even after being shown newspaper articles quoting both the 9-11 Commission and, albeit belatedly, President Bush denying any such connection.

While resisting polarization and rationalization is not an easy task, it may very well be a necessary one. The result of inaction will be an increasingly polarized and extreme citizenry; a citizenry that fails to exhibit the respect, tolerance, and cooperation that is central to a democratic society.