Public Opinion in the News: Examining Portrayals and Viewpoint Heterogeneity

Although the news media both reflect and shape public opinion, little is known about how they actually portray public opinion in an integrated manner. A large-scale content analysis of Flemish print and television news, comparing routine and election periods, shows that journalists mostly refer to only one public opinion portrayal in a news item. When more than one public opinion portrayal is present, it is mostly casual inferences used in combination with other portrayals. Regarding the diversity of viewpoints, public opinion is typically represented in a highly one-sided manner and does not reflect nuances in citizen viewpoints.