"Corrective" Actions in the Public Sphere: How Perceptions of Media and Media Effects Shape Political Behaviors

Abstract

This study examines whether perceptions of media influence and perceptions of media hostility towards one’s views predict taking “corrective” actions to ensure that one’s views are “heard” in the public sphere. Controlling for demographics, political interest, efficacy, knowledge, ideological extremity, and Internet use, this study provides evidence that both third-person perceptions and hostile media perceptions are consistently related to a series of offline and online behaviors that seek to enrich public debate and “correct” what are seen as potential biases in the public sphere. Based on a national probability sample collected in Colombia, these results offer a strong case of behavioral consequences for third-person perceptions outside the realm of willingness to censor.