Data from Pew Research Center for the People and the Press on trends in news consumption released in 2012 suggests people are assembling along separate media streams where they find mostly what they want to hear, and little else. Fully 78 percent of Sean Hannity’s audience on Fox News identified as conservative, with most of the rest of the audience identifying as moderate and just 5 present as liberal. Over on MSNBC, conservatives make up just 7 percent of Rachel Maddow’s audience. It isn’t just politicians that are feeding their bases, it is the media outlets, as well. The village common -- you know, that place where we all meet to discuss our problems, relying on the same set of facts -- has shrunk to the size of a postage stamp, surrounded by the huge gated communities of like minds who never venture into the great beyond.
When Our News Is Gerrymandered, Too | Benton Foundation
