The ‘liberal’ media: bias or customer preferences?

Allegations of liberal bias against the national news media in the US remain very contentious. Conservative critics of the media argue biased news stems from liberal-leaning journalists. Another explanation of alleged bias could be that liberals have a greater demand for news than moderates or conservatives, so the media simply tailors its product to their customers. I test whether liberals in the US have a greater demand for news by investigating the determinants of newspaper circulation across states and metropolitan areas. I find mixed evidence for liberal demand: circulation is higher in more liberal metropolitan areas but is independent of local political preferences across states.

Find the article at Taylor & Francis.