Is the Media Biased Against Me? A Meta-Analysis of the Hostile Media Effect Research

A considerable number of studies have provided empirical evidence of people's perception of media bias-the hostile media effect (HME). This study conducts a meta-analysis of 34 HME studies. HME, in which individuals perceive news coverage as biased against their own side, is observed in diverse...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Communication research reports 2011-04, Vol.28 (2), p.169-179
Main Authors: Hansen, Glenn J., Kim, Hyunjung
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Hostile Media Effect
Hostile Media Perception
Media Bias
Meta-Analysis
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Summary:A considerable number of studies have provided empirical evidence of people's perception of media bias-the hostile media effect (HME). This study conducts a meta-analysis of 34 HME studies. HME, in which individuals perceive news coverage as biased against their own side, is observed in diverse contexts with a moderate effect size. Involvement is a moderating variable of the effect: The effect size was significantly higher as people became more involved with the topic. Nonetheless, the phenomenon also manifests under relatively low involvement conditions. The meta-analysis also indicates that there is no statistical evidence to suggest that the media format (e.g., newspaper or television) or study design (i.e., experimental or survey) moderates HME.
ISSN:0882-4096
1746-4099
DOI:10.1080/08824096.2011.565280