Facilitating communication across lines of political difference: The role of mass media

We use national survey data to examine the extent to which various sources of political information expose people to dissimilar political views. We hy pothesize that the individual's ability and desire to exercise selective ex posure is a key factor in determining whether a given source produces expos ure to dissimilar views. Although a lack of diverse perspectives is a commo n complaint against American news media, we find that individuals ape expos ed to far move dissimilar political views via news media than through inter personal political discussants. The media advantage is rooted in the relati ve difficulty of selectively exposing oneself to those sources of informati on, as well as the lesser desire to do so, given the impersonal nature of m ass media.