Does the Structural Pluralism Model Predict Differences in Journalists’ Perceptions of Online Comments?

This study explores whether the structural pluralism model predicts how journalists mediate and perceive online comments on news websites. A survey finds that in pluralistic communities, where power is shared among more groups, journalists place fewer restrictions on online comments than in more homogenous communities, where power is concentrated. Journalists at small, independently owned news organizations are also more likely to uphold traditional networks of social control by choosing not to allow comments on their websites.