GBH News Forum: An Examination of Political Polarization

As the November election approaches, GBH News invited a panel of experts to share their understanding of partisanship and disunion in the country. Just how divided are we, and what is the psychology that drives these divisions? With a deeper understanding of the current situation and a larger historical context, perhaps we can make more choices that will help us bridge the divides that separate us. Specifically the panel examines the role of media and perception in polarization, the history of partisanship, and what we can do to move forward to bridge the divide.

The Panel
Joanne Levine is a multilingual, award-winning broadcast. She currently is Executive Producer Multimedia for CQ Roll Call in Washington, DC. Joanne has spent her professional life traveling the globe to better understand the world and explain it to others. As a journalist she helped to launch Al Jazeera English in the United States as its founding head of programming for North and South America, where she was responsible for all documentary and current affairs output from those regions. Previously, Levine was an award-winning producer for ABC NEWS for its premiere news programs NIGHTLINE with Ted Koppel, and ABC News World News Tonight with Peter Jennings.

Yphtach Lelkes is an Assistant Professor at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. His main focus is on the role of the political information environment in structuring attitudes, with a special interest in the proliferation of digital media.

Shanto Iyengar is a Professor of Political Science and Director of the Political Communication Laboratory. Iyengar’s areas of expertise include the role of mass media in democratic societies, public opinion, and political psychology.

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