A Test of the “News Diversity” Standard

Abstract

The present study adds to the framing literature by providing a test of Mauro Porto's "News Diversity" standard for professional journalism: providing multiple, equally persuasive frames in every news story. What are the effects of multiple versus single media frames on a foreign policy issue, and how do they interact with people's foreign policy values? Previous studies have looked at how single frames influence opinions, how frames interact with values, and a few studies have investigated the effects of two competing frames at varying levels of persuasiveness. None, however, have used four, equally strong frames on a foreign policy issue and measured their effects among those with differing foreign policy values. We found that exposure to only single frames tended to move participants away from their stated values and in the direction of the frame, while exposure to multiple, competing frames kept participants' opinions closer to their stated values-without merely reinforcing previously held opinions.

Framing international crises: a comparative content analysis of media texts on the collapse of Venezuela

“…4-5). Moreover, media often focus on the dramatic elements (more so if these elements involve human suffering) than the causes, risks, or historical, environmental, or economic context of the conflicts (Beattie & Milojevich 2017;Evans, 2010;Opperhuizen, Schouten, & Klijn, 2018). The "if it bleeds, it leads" news policy, according to which the most traumatic story will lead the newscast (Kerbel, 2002), has been referred to by some authors, such as Ardèvol-Abreu ( 2015), as one of the most significant parts of the news selection criteria, especially when the news is related to complex international crises (pp.…”

Disentangling the Effects of Thematic Information and Emphasis Frames and the Suppression of Issue-Specific Argument Effects through Value-Resonant Framing

“…Thus, value frames use available and applicable considerations that fulfill an important precondition for the effectiveness of frames (Chong & Druckman, 2007c). Some studies have already shown effects of value frames even for citizens holding competing preferences, in particular, when frames are one-sided (Beattie & Milojevich, 2017), strong (Chong & Druckman, 2007a), or presented in a non-polarized environment (Druckman et al, 2013). Hence, the second research question asks: RQ2: Does the effect of the salience emphasis frame persist regardless of whether the frame is value-resonant or not?…”

“…Numerous studies have shown that emphasis frames can influence citizens' issue attitudes regarding a wide range of political topics such as the enlargement of the European Union (Lecheler & de Vreese, 2011, new technologies (Druckman & Bolsen, 2011), health conditions , social welfare (Slothuus, 2008), energy and immigration policies (Druckman et al, 2013), urban growth projects, and hate group rallies (Chong & Druckman, 2007a). In particular, the construction of emphasis frames through the use of political values (i.e., value framing) is not only an often employed strategy by political actors (Hänggli & Kriesi, 2010) but it also seems to be an effective tool to influence citizens' attitudes (Beattie & Milojevich, 2017;Schemer, Wirth, & Matthes, 2012;Shen & Edwards, 2005).…”

“…However, I also assume that salience emphasis frames will influence issue attitudes even if they do not add further thematic information but contextualize this given information with a political value and suggest how to interpret it. Value frames activate pre-existing, available, accessible, and applicable considerations (Chong & Druckman, 2007c) that are deeply rooted in society (Entman, 1993), that should influence how citizens weigh this new information (Nelson et al, 1997), and numerous studies have shown that value frames can finally affect issue attitudes (Beattie & Milojevich, 2017;Chong & Druckman, 2007a;Schemer et al, 2012;Shen & Edwards, 2005). Thus, the next hypotheses state that a salience emphasis frame employing a political value will significantly influence issue attitudes compared to situations without explicit framing but only with the new thematic information (H2) and compared to a counter-frame using a different political value to contextualize the same new thematic information (H3): H2: A salience emphasis frame will move the attitude of citizens in its direction compared to situations without explicit frames and only with new thematic information.…”