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Republicans and heavy television viewers likely perceive unfavorable bias in the news, according to research conducted by mass communication students at UNC Asheville last October.

"It was very interesting to see the responses of television viewers in relation to their political beliefs," said Susan Terry, 26, senior mass communication student. "I was surprised at the results."

Students conducted the 2008 Western North Carolina Poll in the first two weeks of October on behalf of the Asheville Center for Social Research, an on-campus organization. From an on-campus phone bank, they called randomly selected phone numbers in Western North Carolina.

About 500 local residents participated in the survey. It contained questions concerning demographic characteristics, levels of television viewing and political preference.

The survey found levels of television viewing and political affiliation both affect beliefs about the degree of media bias. People who identified as strong Republicans, as well as people who reported high levels of television viewing more often reported stronger feelings of media bias against their views.

"There's a theory called Selective Attention Theory, which holds that one's preexisting feelings about something determine what you perceive," said Professor Mark West, director of the poll. "McCain's campaign went poorly probably because of economic matters beyond his control, but Republicans tended to see that coverage as being biased because of preexisting feelings they had."

The Asheville Center for Social Research was founded in 1989, with a mandate to conduct social research projects in the southern Appalachian mountains. Research projects conducted led to numerous scholarly presentations and publications and the Center teamed with a number of local non-profits in research efforts. West, who holds a Ph.D. in communication research from Chapel Hill, heads the center.

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