During this event communication researcher Magdalena Wojcieszak will present the results of the ERC funded project EXPO and discuss these with journalist/media professionals.

EXPO explored if exposing people to different political views could tackle polarization. What happens for example when a democrat reads Fox News? Or when somebody from the political right sees a news cast from a leftist organization? Does this make citizens more understanding of different viewpoints?

After analysing online behavioral data of over 7,000 individuals from 3 countries (the US, Poland, and the Netherlands) over a period of 9 months, Wojcieszak however found that most people hardly watch any news. It comprised only 3.4% of what those large samples did and saw online during all this time.

How can we encourage people to consume more quality news online for more resilient societies?