When can a news organization lead public opinion? Ideology versus market forces in decisions to make news

Gregory L. Bovitz; James N. Druckman; Arthur Lupia

doi:10.1023/A:1020350716201

When can a news organization lead public opinion? Ideology versus market forces in decisions to make news

Gregory L. Bovitz^*, James N. Druckman, Arthur Lupia

^*Corresponding author for this work

Political Science

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

50 Scopus citations

Abstract

Do news organizations purposefully lead the public to support a particular ideological agenda? When debating this question, many analysts draw conclusions from weak empirical evidence. We introduce a model that clarifies how a news organization's internal structure combines with market forces to affect when it can lead public opinion. We identify conditions under which liberal reporters or politically-driven media magnates can achieve ideological goals. We also illuminate important barriers that prevent many would-be public opinion leaders from ever satisfying these conditions. We show that internal structure and market forces are critical determinants of any news organization's power over public opinion.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	127-155
Number of pages	29
Journal	Public Choice
Volume	113
Issue number	1-2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020350716201
State	Published - Dec 1 2002

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Sociology and Political Science
Economics and Econometrics

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