Conservative News Media and Criminal Justice
Evidence from Exposure to the Fox News Channel
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9708848 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Elliott Ash (0000-0002-6817-7529, ETH Zurich, corresponding author), Michael Poyker (0000-0001-7148-6624, University of Texas at Austin , USA, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 134 |
| Issue | 660 |
| Pages | 1331-1355 |
| Publication date | 2024-04-19 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Economic Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0013-0133 • E-ISSN: 1468-0297 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1093/ej/uead108 |
| OpenAlex | W4389455238 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 7 |
| References cited | 28 |
Local exposure to conservative news causes judges to impose harsher criminal sentences. Our evidence comes from an instrumental variable analysis, where randomness in television channel positioning across localities induces exogenous variation in exposure to the Fox News Channel. These treatment data on news viewership are taken to outcome data on almost seven million criminal sentencing decisions in the United States for the years 2005–17. Higher Fox News viewership increases incarceration length, and the effect is stronger for Black defendants and for drug-related crimes. We can rule out changes in the behaviour of police, prosecutors or potential offenders as significant drivers. Consistent with changes in voter attitudes as the key mechanism, the effect on sentencing harshness is observed for elected (but not appointed) judges. Fox News viewership also increases self-reported beliefs about the importance of drug crime as a social problem
Advertising · Audience measurement · Business · Channel (broadcasting) · Criminal justice · Criminology · Econometrics · Economics · Instrumental variable · Media coverage · Media studies · News media · Political science · Sociology · Variation (astronomy) · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Law · Media Influence and Politics · Political Influence and Corporate Strategies · Psychology
From Headlines to Handcuffs
Extreme Risks, Guns, and Public Opinion
The Drug Crisis and Voting Behavior
News of Converging Crises
Follow the Fox? Elite Influence and White Support for the Great Replacement Theory
Fox news cable consumption and trust in conservative political iconographies
The American Viewer
The Politician and the Judge
Greater Internet use is not associated with faster growth in political polarization among US demographic groups
Measuring Economic Policy Uncertainty
The Fox News Effect
Bias in Cable News
What Do Editors Maximize? Evidence from Four Economics Journals
Crime, Punishment, and Politics
Presidential Selection of Supreme Court Nominees
Moral Values and Voting
No Hatred or Malice, Fear or Affection”
The National News Media’s Effect on Congress
The Influence of News Media on Political Elites
Local News and National Politics
Social Media and Fake News in the 2016 Election
Estimating Judicial Ideology
| Unique citing works | 7 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 3,5 |
| Citation span | 2024 - 2026 (3) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 6 |