The concepts of selective exposure and cognitive dissonance have contributed to the paradigm of weak media effects which dominated communications research for about a quarter of a century. However, despite numerous studies in psychology and communications, empirical results have been mixed and the actual role of selectivity as a `protective shield' against persuasive messages has remained unclear. This study combines a survey including copy-tests of the readers of four German dailies with a quantitative content analysis of the articles printed in three consecutive issues of the same newspapers. The results indicate that consonance and dissonance between messages and readers' predispositions have a statistically significant but rather limited impact on exposure.
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