Conservative News Media and Criminal Justice: Evidence from Exposure to the Fox News Channel

Abstract 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 trea...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Economic journal (London) 2024-05, Vol.134 (660), p.1331-1355
Main Authors: Ash, Elliott, Poyker, Michael
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavior change
Change agents
Criminal justice
Criminal sentences
Defendants
Drug crimes
Imprisonment
Judges & magistrates
News media
Offenders
Positioning
Randomness
Television
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Summary:Abstract 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.
ISSN:0013-0133
1468-0297
DOI:10.1093/ej/uead108