Bias in Cable News: Persuasion and Polarization

Gregory J. Martin and Ali Yurukoglu

No 20798, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: We measure the persuasive effects of slanted news and tastes for like-minded news, exploiting cable channel positions as exogenous shifters of cable news viewership. Channel positions do not correlate with demographics that predict viewership and voting, nor with local satellite viewership. We estimate that Fox News increases Republican vote shares by 0.3 points among viewers induced into watching 2.5 additional minutes per week by variation in position. We then estimate a model of voters who select into watching slanted news, and whose ideologies evolve as a result. We quantitatively assess media-driven polarization, and simulate alternative ideological slanting of news channels.

JEL-codes: D72 D83 L82 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-pol
Note: IO POL
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

Published as Gregory J. Martin & Ali Yurukoglu, 2017. "Bias in Cable News: Persuasion and Polarization," American Economic Review, vol 107(9), pages 2565-2599.

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Journal Article: Bias in Cable News: Persuasion and Polarization (2017)
Working Paper: Bias in Cable News: Persuasion and Polarization (2016)
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