Authors
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Jordi Rodríguez-Virgili
University of Navarra
Author
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Aurken Sierra
University of Navarra
Author
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Javier Serrano-Puche
University of Navarra
Author
Keywords:
journalism, media systems, news consumption, online news, selective exposure
Abstract
The purpose of the study is to examine and compare digital users’ motivations for news exposure in three European countries (Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom) belonging to each of Hallin and Mancini’s media systems. For this research, a cross-national online survey (2020) of over 2,000 people in each country was used. The users’ assessment of the preferences for getting news (from sources that share, challenge or do not have a particular point of view) was analysed, as well as the influence of socio-demographic factors and interest in politics on those motivations. Our results show that a majority of digital users prefer unbiased news. With respect to the socio-demographic variables, a clear pattern can be discerned in the age variable, whereby the older they are, the greater the declared preference for unbiased news. On the other hand, those who show greater interest in politics do prefer reinforcing news. In terms of national differences, motivations for news exposure vary depending on the country studied. In Spain, in line with its belonging to the pluralist-polarised system, the preference for reinforcing news is higher than in Germany and in the United Kingdom.
Author Biographies
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Jordi Rodríguez-Virgili, University of Navarra
Jordi Rodríguez-Virgili is Associate Professor of Political Communication at the University of Navarra, where he serves as Associate Dean of Teaching Staff at the School of Communication. He is a researcher at the Centre for Internet Studies and Digital Life at the UNAV. He has been Visiting International Scholar at The Graduate School of Political Management (George Washington University). Currently, his main inquiry interests are focused on media consumption, political communication, and disinformation. His recent publications include papers in Media and Communication, Journal of Iberian and Latin American Research, Observatorio OBS, El profesional de la información or KOME: An International Journal of Pure Communication Inquiry, and in publishing houses such as Routledge or Éditions L’Harmattan.
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Aurken Sierra, University of Navarra
Aurken Sierra is a Ph.D. candidate at the School of Communication of the University of Navarra. He serves as a research fellow for the Centre for Internet Studies and Digital Life at the same university. His research is focused on political communication, political polarisation, and campaign strategies. He has published in Observatorio OBS, Revista Mediterránea de Comunicación and in Éditions L’Harmattan.
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Javier Serrano-Puche, University of Navarra
Javier Serrano-Puche is Associate Professor and Vice Dean for Academic Affairs at the School of Communication of the University of Navarra. He serves as a research fellow for the Centre for Internet Studies and Digital Life at the same university and has performed extensive research on news consumption, media literacy and the relations between media and emotions. His recent publications include papers in Media and Communication, International Journal of Communication or International Review of Sociology, and in publishing houses such as Routledge, Palgrave MacMillan and Springer.
How to Cite
Rodríguez-Virgili, J., Sierra, A., & Serrano-Puche, J. (2022). Motivations for News Exposure in Different Media Systems: A Comparative Study of Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Communication Today,
13(1), 60-73.
https://doi.org/10.0000/25v7mj19
