One of the outcomes of the stark polar­i­sa­tion of news media globally is that people tend to align to the media outlets which resonate most with their ide­o­log­i­cal beliefs. In most cases, con­sump­tion of a par­tic­u­lar ide­o­log­i­cal media source can only reinforce one’s beliefs, which might lead to an even further polar­i­sa­tion of the audience. These patterns can be char­ac­ter­is­tic of mass media in contexts as different as, for instance, the United States and Lebanon. As the data from the December 2017 CRRC/NDI survey shows, people in Georgia also appear to place more trust in media that aligns with their political beliefs. [Read more…]