Auntie Knows Best? Public broadcasters and current affairs knowledge

Stuart Soroka; Blake Andrew; Toril Aalberg; Shanto Iyengar; James Curran; Sharon Coen; Kaori Hayashi; Paul Jones; Gianpetro Mazzoleni; June Woong Rhee; David Rowe; Rod Tiffen

doi:10.1017/S0007123412000555

Auntie Knows Best? Public broadcasters and current affairs knowledge

Stuart Soroka, Blake Andrew, Toril Aalberg, Shanto Iyengar, James Curran, Sharon Coen, Kaori Hayashi, Paul Jones, Gianpetro Mazzoleni, June Woong Rhee, David Rowe, Rod Tiffen

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

84 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Public service broadcasters (PSBs) are a central part of national news media landscapes, and are often regarded as specialists in the provision of hard news. But does exposure to public versus commercial news influence citizens' knowledge of current affairs? This question is investigated in this article using cross-national surveys capturing knowledge of current affairs and media consumption. Propensity score analyses test for effects of PSBs on knowledge, and examine whether PSBs vary in this regard. Results indicate that compared to commercial news, PSBs have a positive influence on knowledge of hard news, though not all PSBs are equally effective in this way. Cross-national differences are related to factors such as de jure independence, proportion of public financing and audience share.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	719-739
Number of pages	21
Journal	British Journal of Political Science
Volume	43
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007123412000555
Publication status	Published - Oct 2013
Externally published	Yes

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AU - Soroka, Stuart

AU - Andrew, Blake

AU - Aalberg, Toril

AU - Iyengar, Shanto

AU - Curran, James

AU - Coen, Sharon

AU - Hayashi, Kaori

AU - Jones, Paul

AU - Mazzoleni, Gianpetro

AU - Rhee, June Woong

AU - Rowe, David

AU - Tiffen, Rod

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Auntie Knows Best? Public broadcasters and current affairs knowledge

Abstract

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