HME文献36 元分析Is the Media Biased Against Me.pdfVIP

Communication Research Reports Vol. 28, No. 2, April–June 2011, pp. 169–179 Is the Media Biased Against Me? A Meta-Analysis of the Hostile Media Effect Research Glenn J. Hansen Hyunjung Kim 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. Keywords: Hostile Media Effect; Hostile Media Perception; Media Bias; Meta-Analysis Although objectivity is a professional goal, as well as a ‘‘necessity,’’ for news media (McQuail, 1992, p. 187), news media have long been criticized for their biased coverage (Bennett, 2008). Even a ‘‘neutral’’ news report, which is considered fair and impartial by a neutral observer, is seen as biased toward the opposite side in partisans’ eyes (Christen, Kannaovakun, Gunther, 2002; Gunther Schmitt, 2004; Schmitt, Gunther, Liebhart, 2004). This phenomenon, in which partisans perceive a neutral news report as biased against their side, has been identified as the hostile media phenomenon (Vallone, Ross, Lepper, 1985). Gunther (1992) Glenn J. Hansen (PhD, University of Missouri, 2004) is an associate professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Oklahoma. Hyunjung Kim (PhD, Oklahoma Uni