Taking Alternative Routes? Examining Mainstream and Alternative Media Consumption Based on Political Identity

News consumers today can access a wider variety of news sources than ever before, as trust in mainstream media is declining, particularly among conservatives, and distrust for people on opposite sides of the political aisle is also growing. Alternative news outlets maintain they are corrective to mainstream outlets, focusing on a particular political agenda, being more activist than their mainstream counterparts, and differentiating themselves from elite journalists. Through the lens of selective exposure, this study examined the extent to which consumers use mainstream news or selectively expose themselves to alternative news. It also explored how political ideology and trust related to alternative news use. Results showed that while partisans selectively exposed themselves to alternative sources that framed events in ways that confirmed their biases, the overwhelming majority of news consumers still turned to mainstream sources. However, conservatives are turning to mainstream sources less, and their use of conservative alternative news is driven partly by less trust in news and more interest in politics. Overall implications of this study contribute to understanding news consumer choices in that selective exposure occurs in the digital age.