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  5. Media Slant and Public Policy Views

AEA Papers and Proceedings

ISSN 2574-0768 (Print) | ISSN 2574-0776 (Online)

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Media Slant and Public Policy Views

  • Milena Djourelova
  • Ruben Durante
  • Elliot Motte
  • Eleonora Patacchini
AEA Papers and Proceedings
vol. 114, May 2024
(pp. 684–89)
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Abstract

We study how exposure to partisan news channels (Fox News and MSNBC) affects individual views on four policy issues: climate change, gun rights, abortion, and immigration. First, using GPT to annotate news transcripts, we document large differences in the way the two networks cover these issues. Second, exploiting exogenous variation in viewership due to channels' positions in cable lineups, we show that exposure to Fox News (MSNBC) is associated with more conservative (progressive) views, even when controlling for self-reported ideology and party affiliation. Our findings indicate that partisan media contribute to the rise of political polarization in the United States.

Citation

Djourelova, Milena, Ruben Durante, Elliot Motte, and Eleonora Patacchini. 2024. "Media Slant and Public Policy Views." AEA Papers and Proceedings, 114: 684–89. DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20241005

Additional Materials

JEL Classification

  • D72 Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
  • D91 Micro-Based Behavioral Economics: Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
  • L82 Entertainment; Media