Online Polarization and Violence in the United States: A Computational Analysis of Viewer Comments on Partisan News Coverage of President Donald Trump’s First Assassination Attempt

Dennis Ekwemnachukwu Okeke, Margaret Adutwumwaa Boateng, Chibuzor Peter Okpala, Christiana Ibiwoye, Anthony Obi Okeke, Ousman Mbaye, Isaac Ebuka Obah, Department of Journalism, University of Colorado-Boulder, Department of Communication, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Department of Public Administration, National Open University of Nigeria, Department of Communication, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Department of Mass Communication, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Department of Computing and Mathematics, Manchester Metropolitan University

Social Science Computer Review

Published online on February 17, 2026

Abstract

Social Science Computer Review, Ahead of Print.
This study analyzes 15,000 user comments from ideologically distinct news platforms—Fox News (right-leaning), ABC News (left-leaning), and BBC News (centrist)—to investigate how political ideology shapes emotional expression and engagement following the ...