The Effects of News Bias-Induced Anger, Anxiety, and Issue Novelty on Subsequent News Preferences

Abstract

Research has established that political partisans’ emotional responses to identity-threatening information can affect their subsequent information preferences. Based on the hostile media effect and the cognitive motivational-relational theory of emotion, we examined the influence of emotions stimulated by perceptions of news bias on information seeking preferences, as well as the role of issue novelty. An experiment with a 2 (Novel vs. Familiar issues) × 2 (Threatening news stories vs. Non-threatening/control news story) design explored mediating effects of anger and anxiety on subsequent information preferences (identi-ty-bolstering information and identity-threatening information), as well as moderating effects of issue novelty. Bias-induced anger, but not anxiety, motivated participants to want to read additional identity-threatening information. Perceived issue novelty elicited greater anger and enhanced bias-induced anger’s effects on identity-threatening information preferences. The findings have implications for the relationship between exposure to identity-threatening news and selective exposure in a democratic society.