ABSTRACT
Communication research has shown a resurgence of interest in the impact of partisan identification in communication processes. For example, self-identification as a Democrat or Republican, or as a liberal or conservative, predicts perceptions of hostility and media bias against in-groups and in favor of out-groups (Gunther, 1992; Gunther, Miller, & Liebhart, 2009; Gunther, Edgerly, Akin, & Broesch, 2012). Partisan identification is associated with motivated reasoning in which conclusions complimentary toward one’s in-group are favored over conclusions favored by nonpartisan experts (Kruglanski & Webster, 1996; Tabor & Lodge, 2012). Selective exposure to media that privileges one partisan group over all others is related to increased polarization between the groups (Dillipane, 2011; Iyengar & Hahn, 2009; Knoblock-Westerwick & Meng, 2011; Stroud, 2008).
