The New News and the 1992 Presidential Campaign: Perceived vs. Actual Political Knowledge

Nontraditional news coverage, the so-called new news, emerged as a major factor in the 1992 presidential campaign. Little is known, however, about whether attention to the political content of such programs informs the public or simply provides the perception of being informed. Analysis of survey data reveals that attention to MTV and late-night programs is either unrelated to or negatively impacts campaign knowledge. Attention to talk shows is positively related to knowledge. While respondents perceive themselves as being informed by talk shows, for the less educated such attention is unrelated to campaign knowledge.

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