Revisiting Press-State Relations in the Digital Age: Partisan Coalitions on Twitter

• In Event: The News Media and the Strategic Behaviour of Political Actors

Abstract

In contrast to classic normative models of press-state relations that emphasize "social responsibility," this study provides empirical support for characterizing relations as symbiotic in nature and updates the theory to better account for the prominence of partisan news in the current political landscape. Using two Twitter datasets of user mentions from the 2012 election coded for partisanship (or ideology) and position in the press-state system (media vs. public official), this study demonstrates significant differences in the networks of partisan engagement amongst both journalists and national congressional candidates controlling for candidate- and election-specific variables. This study suggests that partisan media may occupy a far more central place in the networks of the parties on social media, even surpassing engagement with non-partisan media among some segments of Congress, namely those running in safe districts. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Authors

• Benjamin J Toff, U of Wisconsin-Madison

• Young Mie Kim, U of Wisconsin-Madison

• David Lassen, U of Wisconsin-Madison