Sounding Off on News Commenting: What Value Does It Have for Civic and Political Participation?

• In Event: The Virtuous Circle? The Nature of the Relationship Between Exposure to News and Political Engagement

Abstract

Does news commenting—the act of posting comments on news stories online—have a positive impact on civic and political engagement? This study takes up that question at a time when online news publishers are reconsidering (if not altogether shutting down) comment sections on their websites because of the challenges inherent in moderating the often vitriolic discourse in such forums. Based on survey data from 648 online news users in the United States, we control for established media use (traditional and social) and political discussion variables that scholars have previously demonstrated predict engagement and participation to answer whether commenting on public affairs news has a unique influence on engagement and participation above and beyond these other activities. We find that commenting on public affairs news does appear to have a positive, incremental effect on civic engagement as well as on political interest and attentiveness. This positive effect is evident both among people who comment on news websites and those who comment on news stories on Facebook. Implications for conceptualizing motivators of engagement and participation, as well as practical implications for news publishers determining whether to continue allowing reader comments, are discussed.

Authors

• Brendan R. Watson, Michigan State U

• Michaele Myers, U of Minnesota - Twin Cities

• Jisu Kim, U of Minnesota-Twin Cities

• Seth C. Lewis, U of Oregon