Abstract
Framing research has predominantly revealed detrimental effects of episodic news frames, including individualist blame attributions and political cynicism. However, such frames may also discourage group biases and impede motivated reasoning regarding identity politics. In two experiments (N = 815; N = 1,019), we test the effect of episodic frames on group-consonant attitudes through identity-motivated reasoning. The two studies produce mixed results. Episodic frames might decrease gender-motivated reasoning for women with weaker gender identities when news threatens their identity, but not for men or for women with stronger gender identities. The implications for journalism and democracy are discussed.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 933-954 |
Number of pages | 22 |
Journal | Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly |
Volume | 101 |
Issue number | 4 |
Early online date | 8 Jun 2022 |
Publication status | Published - Dec 2024 |