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The contemporary communication ecology contributes to affective polarization by presenting us with extreme exemplars of disliked groups. News exposure that is associated with political discussion networks is related to greater political knowledge, yet unlike previous eras where political knowledge and tolerance went hand in hand, this is no longer the case. We employ a comparative design to examine this idea among two democracies with differing levels of journalistic professionalism and political system: Mexico and the United States. Results show that greater political knowledge is associated with affective polarization, especially for the United States. Furthermore, there was a significant indirect path between media use and affective polarization, mediated through homogeneous political talk and political knowledge, but not in Mexico.

Recent scholarship has shown the importance of political conservatism, perceived (in)security, and communication channels (i.e. mass media) in increased or decreased tolerance toward certain groups. This study advances our knowledge in this area by integrating the importance of media exposure, interpersonal communication and attitudes toward political elites in shaping tolerance levels toward the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (FARC, after the initials in Spanish). For this, the authors analyze national survey data collected in Colombia and carry out a path analysis to explore the formation of political (in)tolerance toward FARC. Results from exploring tolerance toward FARC, a rebel group transitioning from a military force to a political one, show the importance of interpersonal discussion and attitudes toward political elites in fostering tolerance both directly and indirectly via increased preference for a peace negotiation over a military solution. The implications of these findings are discussed.

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