Polish weeklies in local government election campaign in light of “echo chamber” theory

Abstract

The aim of the article is to present the results of the analysis of the content of Polish weeklies in the period of the local electoral campaign in the context of the „echo chamber” concept. This theory assumes that the media are willing to perpetuate the views and attitudes of recipients, who in turn reach for titles in which the materials are created in accordance with a political line that is consistent with their views. The content of five socio-political weeklies was analyzed, examining all published materials devoted to particular committees participating in the elections. The study aimed to verify the hypothesis that social and political weeklies do not confront opinions and conduct discussions, but to achieve the goal of maintaining and perpetuating readers’ views and confirming their position.