Politics and public affairs are a central part of most societies, so it’s no surprise that news about them is a common source of information. Political news encompasses a broad range of activities and occurrences, from the formal decision-making of political leaders and parties to the informal communication among individuals or groups who seek to articulate their interests in the political arena through such methods as public relations campaigns, issues management, protest action, or even terrorism. As a result, the political environment is typically noisy and dramatic, which may force journalists to prioritize certain events over others.
Scholars studying the role of political news typically use content analyses to describe how political occurrences are reported and to identify the beliefs and attitudes held by the audience who receives that reporting. However, some scholars also study more directly the influences of political news through a variety of research designs including experimental, survey, and observational methodologies.
When reporting on opinion polls, be sure to consider the margin of error (a tip sheet we recently updated). In addition, if you suspect that an official is spreading a false claim, reach out to election authorities to confirm or debunk it; for example, Elections Canada operates ElectoFacts. Also, make use of fact-checking websites such as Snopes and Politifact.
As the University of Washington notes, a lack of governmental science literacy may allow misinformation to infiltrate public discourse, where it can be used to create scapegoats, normalize prejudices, harden us-versus-them mentalities, and catalyze violence. That’s why it’s important to “broaden your news diet” so that you have a variety of sources with different viewpoints.