Dimitri Kelly, assistant professor of political science at Linfield College, will present “Red News, Blue News: Political Learning and Media Choice” on Wednesday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m. in 201 Riley Hall.
Kelly will discuss how people learn about candidates in today’s media-driven society. In a fragmented media market, the availability of news with a partisan slant changes what and how the public learns. Evidence points to a preference for information that reinforces existing beliefs, yet research also demonstrates people want unbiased and objective news.
“This presents an interesting puzzle, that people may sincerely prefer objective news in the abstract, yet choose to consume biased news in practice,” explained Kelly, who will discuss some of the potential consequences for elections and democracy, as well as his recommendations.
Kelly joined the Linfield faculty in 2013. His academic interests lie in American politics with a focus on political behavior, media and politics, political psychology and elections. Kelly has received funding from the National Science Foundation for ongoing research exploring cognitive responses to biased news and the effects of partisan news media on political polarization. He received his bachelor of arts at the University of California, Davis and received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
The talk is free, open to the public and sponsored by Office of Academic Affairs. For more information, call 503-883-2409.
