Handbook of Media Economics, vol 1B

15.5. CONCLUSIONS

In this chapter, we have surveyed and classified the empirical methods to measure the

ideological/partisan position of media outlets. We have also looked at the determinants

of those positions, and at the persuasive effects on readers and viewers.

Regarding the link between theoretical models of media bias and their empirical

counterpart, we share with

Gentzkow et al. (2015) the view that bias due to filtering

is more pervasive than bias due to distortion. Interestingly, this is consistent with the

idea—and the common wisdom—that media owners, editors, and journalists have

“power” because they enjoy considerable discretion in the choice of what stories to

cover.

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This agenda-setting power would be much narrower if we lived in a world ...