Polarization

“Racially conservative” attitudes were the primary reason white Southerners abandoned the Democratic Party after party leaders began to advocate for civil rights legislation during the last half of the 20^th century, finds a new study from researchers at Princeton and Yale universities.

Guns are one of the most divisive topics in the United States, so it’s crucial for journalists to get the details right — down to the type and style of weapon being discussed.

Political humor has a long tradition in America, but ironical “fake news” is a phenomenon that distinguishes the current cultural moment. Indeed, in recent years a whole body of scholarly literature has focused on this field of political entertainment and its effects. A 2011 study from scholars at Ohio State University adds to this literature by examining how precisely such satire registers differently among liberals and conservatives — how humor is filtered through certain predispositions.

This article was first published by Harvard Business Review. Minor edits were made in accordance with Journalist’s Resource’s editorial style.

New research suggests the U.S. Supreme Court lost public support in recent decades partly because TV news coverage has often framed its decisions as political or insincere.

State lawmakers who cannot seek reelection sponsor fewer bills, serve on fewer legislative committees and skip more roll-call votes, according to a new study on term limits from the University of Chicago and Stanford University.

Televised local news broadcasts focus more on national politics and slant more to the right at present than in recent years, new research finds. These changes, the paper concludes, are not in response to changing viewer tastes, rather, they stem from the ownership of the media outlets themselves.

A new online course from First Draft helps journalists use free tools to track down, source and verify information they find online.

 A video appears to show regime planes bombing civilians in Syria; someone who looks much like a beloved professor appears holding a torch at a neo-Nazi rally. If credible, these are leads. But how do we know if they are credible?