Research

My current and forthcoming work focuses on:

Structural changes in information environments
Media and information infrastructures and their consequences for political behavior
Platform-mediated news exposure and polarization

Peer-reviewed publications

Partisan news users in the United States and India on either side seldom use fact checkers

R. Ray, S. Bhalla, and H. Taneja (2025). Journal of Communication.
Abstract: Fact checkers have low reach, and their limited efficacy is often attributed to perceived partisanship. Yet little research exists investigating the reach of or engagement with fact checkers among their intended audiences. We argue that given their small audience size, fact checkers’ usage is likely driven by heavy media users regardless of partisan leanings. Examining over 7 million Twitter (X) news users across India and the United States, we find exposure to and engagement with fact checkers remains largely restricted to heavier users, with little evidence that interventions penetrate selectively partisan news audiences.
Download PDF | DOI

When news is entertainment: Explaining the persistence of misinformation through the information environment

Bhalla, S., R. Ray, and H. Taneja (2024). Information, Communication & Society.
Abstract: We propose the “news as entertainment” framework to explain how commercial dynamics shape news consumption and why misinformation persists despite corrections. Using India’s information environment as a strategic case, we show how competing social and economic interests in a high-choice, polarized context influence exposure and receptivity to corrections.
Download PDF | DOI

Khan, A., S. Natarajan, S. Bhalla (2021). Communication, Culture & Critique.
Abstract: Using the September 2019 climate strikes in Delhi and Bengaluru, we examine how Twitter activity intertwined with local social-capital networks in a digital-first movement. We show that the role of Twitter can only be understood alongside on-the-ground organizing.
Download PDF | DOI

Classroom Contexts: Teachers Talk Teaching Media Literacy

Bhalla, S., M. Nelson, and M. Spikes (forthcoming). Journal of Media Literacy Education.
Abstract: Interviews with 20 educators reveal divides in media worlds, school resources, and political context that shape how media literacy is taught and experienced, highlighting the need for bottom-up approaches to improve outcomes.
DOI

Works in progress

Following the News: Polarization and the Networked Structure of Attention

News(paper) Flows: A spatial examination of local newspaper circulation

Earlier version presented at the Local News Researchers Workshop, March 2024, Durham, NC.

Sakshi Bhalla