News coverage and the social dimension of belief reinforcement: a longitudinal mixed-methods approach

Abstract

Abstract Understanding the conditions behind media-driven belief maintenance and reinforcement is critical for a comprehensive account of long-term media effects. Focusing on news coverage and beliefs about crime developments in Sweden, this study addresses the so-called “filtering function” of interpersonal communication: the idea that media messages and beliefs are validated in social networks. Using a longitudinal mixed-methods approach—combining content analysis of news coverage, a six-wave panel survey, and (focus) group discussions—the study analyses the long-term processes as well as the social validation mechanisms embedded within interpersonal discussion networks to understand belief reinforcement over time. Both the quantitative and the qualitative data support the basic social validation mechanism underpinning reinforcement effects, suggesting several distinct ways in which news coverage and beliefs are validated (and rejected) in social communication. These findings contribute to research on dynamic media effects, cultivation theory, and social networks.

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