Does Centrist News Reduce Polarization More Than Left or Right News?

An increase in partisan identification has dictated a greater interest within the field of polarization in finding effective treatment methods. Past studies have attempted to solve this problem in various ways, but none have tested whether ‘centrist’ news media reduces polarization. This research will measure the impact of center, left, and right-leaning news media articles on polarization, searching for polarization reduction effects. This research will first use a manipulation check, where articles will be selected for the main stage of the research. 15 articles will be measured for their representation of the left, right, and center. Next, 6 articles will be selected, with 2 75-word articles representing each the left, right, and center. The articles will share the topic of immigration. Subjects' responses will reflect measures of affective and moral polarization, as well as immigration attitudes.