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Abstract: 

The sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church marked a watershed in investigative journalism. It is commonly believed that the media coverage that intensified throughout the first decade of the 21st century caused significant damage to the Church’s reputation, even among devoted, church-going Catholics. But is that actually what happened? Here, authors Christina Mancini and Ryan Shields explain the results of a poll that asked about participants’ reactions to the news coverage.

Keywords: Media cultivation theories

Affiliations:  1: Virginia Commonwealth University; 2: Johns Hopkins University.