Jonathan S Morris
Biographic Data
| ID | 4122989 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Jonathan S Morris |
| GIVEN NAMES | Jonathan S |
| FAMILY NAME | Morris |
| SIGNATURE | MORRIS J S |
| AFFILIATIONS | East Carolina University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-4886-986X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 23 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 473 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 21 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 2 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2001 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 11 |
Blinded by Partisanship? The Limitations of Fact-Checkers in Correcting Misinformation During the 2021 Georgia Senate Runoff Elections
In recent years, partisan polarization has intensified, and social media has amplified the spread of inaccurate information. As misinformation circulates more widely, non-partisan fact-checkers play a crucial role in improving public knowledge. However, their efforts often compete with sources that may undermine attempts to correct misinformation. In polarized political environments, elites and partisan media frequently promote narratives that co…
Partisan media exposure, polarization, and candidate evaluations in the 2016 general election
Objective This study aims to examine the influence of Republican and Democratic partisan television news on attitudes toward candidates for president immediately following the 2016 general election. Method Using two waves of the 2016 American National Election Study, we examine feelings toward Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton before and after the election. Results Exposure to Republican partisan media did have a significant negative effect on fee…
A fake news inoculation? Fact checkers, partisan identification, and the power of misinformation
Previous research finds that misinformation is often difficult to correct once a person accepts it as truth. Nonetheless, a few studies have shown evidence that fact-checkers can help lower an individual’s susceptibility to believing false news and rumors. Our study builds on this research by examining the fact-checking inoculation effect on political misinformation (also known as “fake news”) that circulated on the Internet in the months followi…
Research note: Negative news and late-night comedy about presidential candidates
In this paper we explore the creation of jokes told on late night talk shows targeted at major party nominees for president from 1992–2008. We hypothesize that the number of jokes told about candidates are related to variations in polling numbers, mainstream media coverage, and party identification of the candidates. Our results show a positive relationship between the number of jokes told at a candidate’s expense and the amount of negative news …
Evolving Learning: The Changing Effect of Internet Access on Political Knowledge and Engagement (1998–2012)
This study addresses the changing role of Internet usage on the political knowledge and participation gap between individuals of low and high socioeconomic status ( SES ). Analysis of data collected by the Pew Research Center's Biennial Media Consumption Studies (1998–2012) shows that the percentage of the population that accidentally encounters political information online has risen dramatically. Results show that accidental exposure and SES are…
Did the “Road to the White House Run Through” Letterman? Chris Christie, Letterman, and Other-Disparaging Versus Self-Deprecating Humor
In this article we present the results of an experiment designed to disentangle the effects late-night talk show viewership have on presidential candidate evaluations. Respondents in one condition viewed a short video clip of David Letterman humorously disparaging New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, thought by many at the time to be considering a run for the presidency in 2016. Those in a second condition saw a short clip of Christie engaging in …
The “Crossfire Approach”: Attracting Political Science Majors in Large-Lecture Sections of Introductory Courses
In this article, we chronicle our experience in team-teaching large-lecture sections of “Introduction to American Government.” A dual-instructor approach allows us to accommodate 250 students, which obviates the need for five separate sections (and instructors) of the course. In addition, our “Crossfire Approach,” in which we engage one another in frequent and unstructured political debate, generates student interest in the course and in the poli…
Digital Inequality and Participation in the Political Process: Real or Imagined
This study analyzes whether greater levels of Internet access closed the participation gap between individuals of lower and higher socioeconomic status (SES) in the early stages of the 2012 presidential campaign. Our analysis of data from the Pew Research Center demonstrates that greater levels of access to the Internet are significantly associated with greater political knowledge and engagement for low SES individuals, but not high SES individua…
Laughing Matters
Cable News, Public Opinion, and the 2004 Party Conventions
In this study, the authors test for the presence of bias during Fox News and CNN’s coverage of the 2004 national party conventions. The content analysis demonstrates that Fox News’s coverage was more favorable to the Republican Party than it was to the Democratic Party, while CNN’s coverage was more impartial. The authors also use panel data from the National Annenberg Election Survey to show how opinion change toward the 2004 presidential candid…
MyFaceTube Politics: Social Networking Web Sites and Political Engagement of Young Adults
This article examines the political uses of social networking (SN) Web sites by young adults in context of the early stages of the 2008 presidential primary season. Using a survey of over 3,500 18- to 24-year-olds contacted immediately prior to the Iowa caucuses, we illustrate that although SN Web sites are recognized by youth as a possible source of news and that many receive some of their news from these sites, the types of news gathered probab…
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and Audience Attitude Change During the 2004 Party Conventions
One “Nation,” Under Stephen? The Effects of The Colbert Report on American Youth
This study examines the effect of The Colbert Report, Comedy Central's mock conservative talk show, on young adults. By fashioning his character as a hyperbolic ideologue, Colbert is mocking personalities such as Bill O'Reilly. However, this study finds that when young adults are exposed to The Colbert Report's humor, they are not led to be more critical of the far right. Instead, the opposite happens, and there is an increased affinity for Presi…
Laughing matters: Humor and American politics in the media age
A Clash of Civilizations? The Influence of Religion on Public Opinion of U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East
The authors argue in this study that religious beliefs play a significant role in predicting American public opinion on foreign policy issues in the Middle East. Their findings reveal that Evangelical Christians have remained strong supporters of a hawkish foreign policy toward the Middle East, even as overall public support for the Iraq War declines. They also find that Evangelicals are among the strongest supporters of Israel and hold more nega…
News Grazers, Television News, Political Knowledge, and Engagement
This study examines the modern-day television “news grazer” in American politics. We define news grazers as those individuals who watch television news with remote control in hand and switch to another channel when an uninteresting topic comes up. Using survey data from the Pew Research Center, we find that news grazers differ significantly from nongrazers in news-gathering habits, political knowledge, and behavior. These effects remain significa…
Slanted Objectivity? Perceived Media Bias, Cable News Exposure, and Political Attitudes
Objectives. This research explores the consequences of a fragmented television news audience. The recent proliferation of a wide array of television news sources has influenced the manner in which a large number of Americans get their information about politics and government. The political consequences of media fragmentation and the polarization of the U.S. television news audience are explored. Methods. I analyze data on television news‐gatheri…
High-Conflict Television News and Public Opinion
This research assesses whether conflict-laden news coverage affects public perceptions of political institutions and political elites in general. Particularly, is conflict-oriented television news coverage of politics contributing to negative evaluations of political institutions and their leaders? We present evidence from an experiment designed to address this question. Our experiment is constructed around media coverage of the State of the Unio…
The Daily Show Effect: Candidate Evaluations, Efficacy, and American Youth
We test the effects of a popular televised source of political humor for young Americans: The Daily Show With Jon Stewart. We find that participants exposed to jokes about George W. Bush and John Kerry on The Daily Show tended to rate both candidates more negatively, even when controlling for partisanship and other demographic variables. Moreover, we find that viewers exhibit more cynicism toward the electoral system and the news media at large. …
Media Coverage of Congress in the 1990s: Scandals, Personalities, and the Prevalence of Policy and Process
In this article, we provide a comprehensive, systematic examination of media coverage of Congress in the 1990s. Specifically, we content analyze over 2,600 congressional news stories from the New York Times and CBS Evening News from 1990 through 1998. We find that the news media covered substantive policy concerns and the legislative process quite regularly and that stories focusing on individual personalities and political scandals were comparat…
The Fox News Factor
This aricle analyzes data from the Pew Research Center’s 1998 to 2004 Biennial Media Consumption Surveys to identify demographic and behavioral factors that predict Americans’ exposure to cable and broadcast nightly news. While many predictors are significant across sources, much of the evidence indicates the audiences are unique. The network news audience is becoming increasingly older, and the Fox News and CNN audiences are becoming increasingl…
Congressional Partisanship, Bipartisanship and Public Opinion: An Experimental Analysis
There has been extensive research concerning Congress and how partisan attachments and attitudes affect views toward it. In addition, a burgeoning area of research has developed concerning how media influences a person's attitudes and beliefs. In our study we test three hypotheses: viewing partisan House rhetoric will increase partisanship, negative attitudes toward Congress, and negative attitudes toward the federal government as a whole. We tes…
Reexamining the Politics of Talk: Partisan Rhetoric in the 104th House
Drawing off the work of Maltzman and Sigelman (1996), this paper looks at the propensity of members to speak on the House floor during minute speeches in the 104th Congress. I used a negative binomial event count model to predict not only who will participate in one in general, but also who will engage in partisan rhetoric, which was such an important aspect of the volatile 104th Congress. The model finds that, while general participation can be …
MyFaceTube Politics: Social Networking Web Sites and Political Engagement of Young Adults
This article examines the political uses of social networking (SN) Web sites by young adults in context of the early stages of the 2008 presidential primary season. Using a survey of over 3,500 18- to 24-year-olds contacted immediately prior to the Iowa caucuses, we illustrate that although SN Web sites are recognized by youth as a possible source of news and that many receive some of their news from these sites, the types of news gathered probab…
A Clash of Civilizations? The Influence of Religion on Public Opinion of U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East
The authors argue in this study that religious beliefs play a significant role in predicting American public opinion on foreign policy issues in the Middle East. Their findings reveal that Evangelical Christians have remained strong supporters of a hawkish foreign policy toward the Middle East, even as overall public support for the Iraq War declines. They also find that Evangelicals are among the strongest supporters of Israel and hold more nega…
The Fox News Factor
This aricle analyzes data from the Pew Research Center’s 1998 to 2004 Biennial Media Consumption Surveys to identify demographic and behavioral factors that predict Americans’ exposure to cable and broadcast nightly news. While many predictors are significant across sources, much of the evidence indicates the audiences are unique. The network news audience is becoming increasingly older, and the Fox News and CNN audiences are becoming increasingl…
Reexamining the Politics of Talk: Partisan Rhetoric in the 104th House
Drawing off the work of Maltzman and Sigelman (1996), this paper looks at the propensity of members to speak on the House floor during minute speeches in the 104th Congress. I used a negative binomial event count model to predict not only who will participate in one in general, but also who will engage in partisan rhetoric, which was such an important aspect of the volatile 104th Congress. The model finds that, while general participation can be …
The Daily Show Effect: Candidate Evaluations, Efficacy, and American Youth
We test the effects of a popular televised source of political humor for young Americans: The Daily Show With Jon Stewart. We find that participants exposed to jokes about George W. Bush and John Kerry on The Daily Show tended to rate both candidates more negatively, even when controlling for partisanship and other demographic variables. Moreover, we find that viewers exhibit more cynicism toward the electoral system and the news media at large. …
High-Conflict Television News and Public Opinion
This research assesses whether conflict-laden news coverage affects public perceptions of political institutions and political elites in general. Particularly, is conflict-oriented television news coverage of politics contributing to negative evaluations of political institutions and their leaders? We present evidence from an experiment designed to address this question. Our experiment is constructed around media coverage of the State of the Unio…
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and Audience Attitude Change During the 2004 Party Conventions
Cable News, Public Opinion, and the 2004 Party Conventions
In this study, the authors test for the presence of bias during Fox News and CNN’s coverage of the 2004 national party conventions. The content analysis demonstrates that Fox News’s coverage was more favorable to the Republican Party than it was to the Democratic Party, while CNN’s coverage was more impartial. The authors also use panel data from the National Annenberg Election Survey to show how opinion change toward the 2004 presidential candid…
Slanted Objectivity? Perceived Media Bias, Cable News Exposure, and Political Attitudes
Objectives. This research explores the consequences of a fragmented television news audience. The recent proliferation of a wide array of television news sources has influenced the manner in which a large number of Americans get their information about politics and government. The political consequences of media fragmentation and the polarization of the U.S. television news audience are explored. Methods. I analyze data on television news‐gatheri…
Digital Inequality and Participation in the Political Process: Real or Imagined
This study analyzes whether greater levels of Internet access closed the participation gap between individuals of lower and higher socioeconomic status (SES) in the early stages of the 2012 presidential campaign. Our analysis of data from the Pew Research Center demonstrates that greater levels of access to the Internet are significantly associated with greater political knowledge and engagement for low SES individuals, but not high SES individua…
Media Coverage of Congress in the 1990s: Scandals, Personalities, and the Prevalence of Policy and Process
In this article, we provide a comprehensive, systematic examination of media coverage of Congress in the 1990s. Specifically, we content analyze over 2,600 congressional news stories from the New York Times and CBS Evening News from 1990 through 1998. We find that the news media covered substantive policy concerns and the legislative process quite regularly and that stories focusing on individual personalities and political scandals were comparat…
Evolving Learning: The Changing Effect of Internet Access on Political Knowledge and Engagement (1998–2012)
This study addresses the changing role of Internet usage on the political knowledge and participation gap between individuals of low and high socioeconomic status ( SES ). Analysis of data collected by the Pew Research Center's Biennial Media Consumption Studies (1998–2012) shows that the percentage of the population that accidentally encounters political information online has risen dramatically. Results show that accidental exposure and SES are…
News Grazers, Television News, Political Knowledge, and Engagement
This study examines the modern-day television “news grazer” in American politics. We define news grazers as those individuals who watch television news with remote control in hand and switch to another channel when an uninteresting topic comes up. Using survey data from the Pew Research Center, we find that news grazers differ significantly from nongrazers in news-gathering habits, political knowledge, and behavior. These effects remain significa…
A fake news inoculation? Fact checkers, partisan identification, and the power of misinformation
Previous research finds that misinformation is often difficult to correct once a person accepts it as truth. Nonetheless, a few studies have shown evidence that fact-checkers can help lower an individual’s susceptibility to believing false news and rumors. Our study builds on this research by examining the fact-checking inoculation effect on political misinformation (also known as “fake news”) that circulated on the Internet in the months followi…
Congressional Partisanship, Bipartisanship and Public Opinion: An Experimental Analysis
There has been extensive research concerning Congress and how partisan attachments and attitudes affect views toward it. In addition, a burgeoning area of research has developed concerning how media influences a person's attitudes and beliefs. In our study we test three hypotheses: viewing partisan House rhetoric will increase partisanship, negative attitudes toward Congress, and negative attitudes toward the federal government as a whole. We tes…
Did the “Road to the White House Run Through” Letterman? Chris Christie, Letterman, and Other-Disparaging Versus Self-Deprecating Humor
In this article we present the results of an experiment designed to disentangle the effects late-night talk show viewership have on presidential candidate evaluations. Respondents in one condition viewed a short video clip of David Letterman humorously disparaging New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, thought by many at the time to be considering a run for the presidency in 2016. Those in a second condition saw a short clip of Christie engaging in …
Partisan media exposure, polarization, and candidate evaluations in the 2016 general election
Objective This study aims to examine the influence of Republican and Democratic partisan television news on attitudes toward candidates for president immediately following the 2016 general election. Method Using two waves of the 2016 American National Election Study, we examine feelings toward Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton before and after the election. Results Exposure to Republican partisan media did have a significant negative effect on fee…
The “Crossfire Approach”: Attracting Political Science Majors in Large-Lecture Sections of Introductory Courses
In this article, we chronicle our experience in team-teaching large-lecture sections of “Introduction to American Government.” A dual-instructor approach allows us to accommodate 250 students, which obviates the need for five separate sections (and instructors) of the course. In addition, our “Crossfire Approach,” in which we engage one another in frequent and unstructured political debate, generates student interest in the course and in the poli…
Congressional Partisanship, Bipartisanship and Public Opinion: An Experimental Analysis
There has been extensive research concerning Congress and how partisan attachments and attitudes affect views toward it. In addition, a burgeoning area of research has developed concerning how media influences a person's attitudes and beliefs. In our study we test three hypotheses: viewing partisan House rhetoric will increase partisanship, negative attitudes toward Congress, and negative attitudes toward the federal government as a whole. We tes…
Reexamining the Politics of Talk: Partisan Rhetoric in the 104th House
Drawing off the work of Maltzman and Sigelman (1996), this paper looks at the propensity of members to speak on the House floor during minute speeches in the 104th Congress. I used a negative binomial event count model to predict not only who will participate in one in general, but also who will engage in partisan rhetoric, which was such an important aspect of the volatile 104th Congress. The model finds that, while general participation can be …
Media Coverage of Congress in the 1990s: Scandals, Personalities, and the Prevalence of Policy and Process
In this article, we provide a comprehensive, systematic examination of media coverage of Congress in the 1990s. Specifically, we content analyze over 2,600 congressional news stories from the New York Times and CBS Evening News from 1990 through 1998. We find that the news media covered substantive policy concerns and the legislative process quite regularly and that stories focusing on individual personalities and political scandals were comparat…
The Fox News Factor
This aricle analyzes data from the Pew Research Center’s 1998 to 2004 Biennial Media Consumption Surveys to identify demographic and behavioral factors that predict Americans’ exposure to cable and broadcast nightly news. While many predictors are significant across sources, much of the evidence indicates the audiences are unique. The network news audience is becoming increasingly older, and the Fox News and CNN audiences are becoming increasingl…
High-Conflict Television News and Public Opinion
This research assesses whether conflict-laden news coverage affects public perceptions of political institutions and political elites in general. Particularly, is conflict-oriented television news coverage of politics contributing to negative evaluations of political institutions and their leaders? We present evidence from an experiment designed to address this question. Our experiment is constructed around media coverage of the State of the Unio…
The Daily Show Effect: Candidate Evaluations, Efficacy, and American Youth
We test the effects of a popular televised source of political humor for young Americans: The Daily Show With Jon Stewart. We find that participants exposed to jokes about George W. Bush and John Kerry on The Daily Show tended to rate both candidates more negatively, even when controlling for partisanship and other demographic variables. Moreover, we find that viewers exhibit more cynicism toward the electoral system and the news media at large. …
News Grazers, Television News, Political Knowledge, and Engagement
This study examines the modern-day television “news grazer” in American politics. We define news grazers as those individuals who watch television news with remote control in hand and switch to another channel when an uninteresting topic comes up. Using survey data from the Pew Research Center, we find that news grazers differ significantly from nongrazers in news-gathering habits, political knowledge, and behavior. These effects remain significa…
Slanted Objectivity? Perceived Media Bias, Cable News Exposure, and Political Attitudes
Objectives. This research explores the consequences of a fragmented television news audience. The recent proliferation of a wide array of television news sources has influenced the manner in which a large number of Americans get their information about politics and government. The political consequences of media fragmentation and the polarization of the U.S. television news audience are explored. Methods. I analyze data on television news‐gatheri…
One “Nation,” Under Stephen? The Effects of The Colbert Report on American Youth
This study examines the effect of The Colbert Report, Comedy Central's mock conservative talk show, on young adults. By fashioning his character as a hyperbolic ideologue, Colbert is mocking personalities such as Bill O'Reilly. However, this study finds that when young adults are exposed to The Colbert Report's humor, they are not led to be more critical of the far right. Instead, the opposite happens, and there is an increased affinity for Presi…
Laughing matters: Humor and American politics in the media age
A Clash of Civilizations? The Influence of Religion on Public Opinion of U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East
The authors argue in this study that religious beliefs play a significant role in predicting American public opinion on foreign policy issues in the Middle East. Their findings reveal that Evangelical Christians have remained strong supporters of a hawkish foreign policy toward the Middle East, even as overall public support for the Iraq War declines. They also find that Evangelicals are among the strongest supporters of Israel and hold more nega…
MyFaceTube Politics: Social Networking Web Sites and Political Engagement of Young Adults
This article examines the political uses of social networking (SN) Web sites by young adults in context of the early stages of the 2008 presidential primary season. Using a survey of over 3,500 18- to 24-year-olds contacted immediately prior to the Iowa caucuses, we illustrate that although SN Web sites are recognized by youth as a possible source of news and that many receive some of their news from these sites, the types of news gathered probab…
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and Audience Attitude Change During the 2004 Party Conventions
Cable News, Public Opinion, and the 2004 Party Conventions
In this study, the authors test for the presence of bias during Fox News and CNN’s coverage of the 2004 national party conventions. The content analysis demonstrates that Fox News’s coverage was more favorable to the Republican Party than it was to the Democratic Party, while CNN’s coverage was more impartial. The authors also use panel data from the National Annenberg Election Survey to show how opinion change toward the 2004 presidential candid…
Laughing Matters
Digital Inequality and Participation in the Political Process: Real or Imagined
This study analyzes whether greater levels of Internet access closed the participation gap between individuals of lower and higher socioeconomic status (SES) in the early stages of the 2012 presidential campaign. Our analysis of data from the Pew Research Center demonstrates that greater levels of access to the Internet are significantly associated with greater political knowledge and engagement for low SES individuals, but not high SES individua…
Did the “Road to the White House Run Through” Letterman? Chris Christie, Letterman, and Other-Disparaging Versus Self-Deprecating Humor
In this article we present the results of an experiment designed to disentangle the effects late-night talk show viewership have on presidential candidate evaluations. Respondents in one condition viewed a short video clip of David Letterman humorously disparaging New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, thought by many at the time to be considering a run for the presidency in 2016. Those in a second condition saw a short clip of Christie engaging in …
The “Crossfire Approach”: Attracting Political Science Majors in Large-Lecture Sections of Introductory Courses
In this article, we chronicle our experience in team-teaching large-lecture sections of “Introduction to American Government.” A dual-instructor approach allows us to accommodate 250 students, which obviates the need for five separate sections (and instructors) of the course. In addition, our “Crossfire Approach,” in which we engage one another in frequent and unstructured political debate, generates student interest in the course and in the poli…
Evolving Learning: The Changing Effect of Internet Access on Political Knowledge and Engagement (1998–2012)
This study addresses the changing role of Internet usage on the political knowledge and participation gap between individuals of low and high socioeconomic status ( SES ). Analysis of data collected by the Pew Research Center's Biennial Media Consumption Studies (1998–2012) shows that the percentage of the population that accidentally encounters political information online has risen dramatically. Results show that accidental exposure and SES are…
Research note: Negative news and late-night comedy about presidential candidates
In this paper we explore the creation of jokes told on late night talk shows targeted at major party nominees for president from 1992–2008. We hypothesize that the number of jokes told about candidates are related to variations in polling numbers, mainstream media coverage, and party identification of the candidates. Our results show a positive relationship between the number of jokes told at a candidate’s expense and the amount of negative news …
A fake news inoculation? Fact checkers, partisan identification, and the power of misinformation
Previous research finds that misinformation is often difficult to correct once a person accepts it as truth. Nonetheless, a few studies have shown evidence that fact-checkers can help lower an individual’s susceptibility to believing false news and rumors. Our study builds on this research by examining the fact-checking inoculation effect on political misinformation (also known as “fake news”) that circulated on the Internet in the months followi…
Partisan media exposure, polarization, and candidate evaluations in the 2016 general election
Objective This study aims to examine the influence of Republican and Democratic partisan television news on attitudes toward candidates for president immediately following the 2016 general election. Method Using two waves of the 2016 American National Election Study, we examine feelings toward Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton before and after the election. Results Exposure to Republican partisan media did have a significant negative effect on fee…
Blinded by Partisanship? The Limitations of Fact-Checkers in Correcting Misinformation During the 2021 Georgia Senate Runoff Elections
In recent years, partisan polarization has intensified, and social media has amplified the spread of inaccurate information. As misinformation circulates more widely, non-partisan fact-checkers play a crucial role in improving public knowledge. However, their efforts often compete with sources that may undermine attempts to correct misinformation. In polarized political environments, elites and partisan media frequently promote narratives that co…
Political science (21 works) · Politics (19 works) · Law (17 works) · Sociology (15 works) · Law (14 works) · Psychology (12 works) · Social Media and Politics (12 works) · Electoral Systems and Political Participation (9 works) · Media studies (9 works) · Business (8 works)