Does the media seem more hostile to losers? Media bias perceptions among politicians in the wake of Norwegian municipal mergers

Marte Winsvold and Bjarte Folkestad

Local Government Studies, 2025, vol. 51, issue 1, 112-132

Abstract: This article examines how politicians’ perceptions of media coverage are influenced by their emergence as winners or losers of political battles. Based on a survey of 3,378 Norwegian councillors regarding municipal mergers, we found that although all councillors tended to perceive their opponents’ perspectives on the merger as dominating the public debate, this tendency was significantly stronger among those who had lost council votes regarding mergers. In contrast, the winners saw the debate as more inclusive and comprehensive. We discuss whether these tendencies are expressions of attribution biases that allow politicians to maintain their original beliefs.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1080/03003930.2024.2332634

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