Watchdog versus yes man: News source and media competition

Daiki Kishishita and Susumu Sato

Games and Economic Behavior, 2025, vol. 153, issue C, 233-253

Abstract: Watchdog journalism, the idea that independent media outlets monitor people in power, can be undermined when the people in power serve as news sources on which the media rely. By developing a model of media competition with a strategic news source, we show that the presence of a news source creates pro-source biases; the coexistence of neutral watchdogs and biased yes men arises as an outcome of mixed strategy equilibrium. This bias can make the presence of a news source harmful to consumers.

Keywords: Media competition; News source; Media bias; Differentiation; Watchdog journalism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D72 L13 L82 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:gamebe:v:153:y:2025:i:c:p:233-253

DOI: 10.1016/j.geb.2025.06.007

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