The diminishing state of shared reality on US television news

• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2310.18863
• Publication Date: 2023-01-01
• Authors: Homa Hosseinmardi; Samuel Wolken; David Rothschild; Duncan J. Watts
• Keywords: Popularity; Consumption; Fragmentation; Broadcast television systems

The potential for a large, diverse population to coexist peacefully is thought depend on the existence of ``shared reality:'' public sphere in which participants are exposed similar facts about topics. A generation ago, broadcast television news was widely considered serve this function; however, since rise cable 1990s, critics and scholars have worried that corresponding fragmentation segregation audiences along partisan lines has caused shared reality be lost. Here we examine concern using unique combination data sets tracking production (since 2012) consumption 2016) content three largest networks respectively. With regard production, find strong evidence ``loss hypothesis:'' while continues cover topics with language, become increasingly distinct, both from each other, diverging terms language. consumption, more mixed evidence: indeed declined popularity, it remains dominant source roughly 50\% Americans than does cable; moreover, its decline, somewhat attributable cable, appears driven by shift away altogether growth consumption. We conclude US diminishing, but robust previously declining different reasons.