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Media slant in economic news: A factor 20

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  • Heinz, Matthias
  • Swinnen, Johan

Abstract

There is a large difference in German media coverage of job creation and job shedding. Ten times as many articles report on downsizing compared to upsizing. The slant amounts to a factor greater than twenty per job.

Suggested Citation

  • Heinz, Matthias & Swinnen, Johan, 2015. "Media slant in economic news: A factor 20," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 18-20.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolet:v:132:y:2015:i:c:p:18-20
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econlet.2015.04.011
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Abo-Zaid, Salem, 2014. "Revisions to US labor market data and the public’s perception of the economy," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 122(2), pages 119-124.
    2. S.S. Vickner, 2004. "Media Coverage of Biotech Foods and Influence on Consumer Choice," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 86(5), pages 1238-1246.
    3. Friebel, Guido & Heinz, Matthias, 2014. "Media slant against foreign owners: Downsizing," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 97-106.
    4. McCluskey, Jill J. & Swinnen, Johan & Vandemoortele, Thijs, 2015. "You get what you want: A note on the economics of bad news," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 1-5.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Julia Wolfinger & Lars P. Feld & Ekkehard A. Köhler & Tobias Thomas, 2018. "57 Channels (And Nothin On) - Does TV-News on the Eurozone Affect Government Bond Yield Spreads?," CESifo Working Paper Series 7437, CESifo.
    2. Bernhardt, Lea & Dewenter, Ralf & Thomas, Tobias, 2023. "Measuring partisan media bias in US newscasts from 2001 to 2012," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    3. Bassanini, Andrea & Caroli, Eve & Fontaine, François & Rebérioux, Antoine, 2021. "Escaping social pressure: Fixed-term contracts in multi-establishment firms," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 188(C), pages 697-715.
    4. Ralf Dewenter & Uwe Dulleck & Tobias Thomas, 2016. "Does the 4th estate deliver? Towards more direct measure of political media bias," Working Paper 175/2016, Helmut Schmidt University, Hamburg.
    5. Andrea Bassanini & Eve Caroli & Bruno Chaves Ferreira & Antoine Reberioux, 2025. "Don't Downsize This! Social Reactions to Mass Dismissals on Twitter," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 64(4), pages 580-597, October.
    6. Antonio Ciccone & Felix Rusche, 2025. "Reporting Big News, Missing the Big Picture? Stock Market Performance in the Media," CRC TR 224 Discussion Paper Series crctr224_2025_682, University of Bonn and University of Mannheim, Germany.
    7. Ralf Dewenter & Uwe Dulleck & Tobias Thomas, 2020. "Does the 4th estate deliver? The Political Coverage Index and its application to media capture," Constitutional Political Economy, Springer, vol. 31(3), pages 292-328, September.
    8. Anna Kerkhof & Johannes Münster, 2021. "Detecting Coverage Bias in User-Generated Content," CESifo Working Paper Series 8844, CESifo.
    9. Fourné, Sebastian P.L. & Kremer, Rico & Zschoche, Miriam, 2025. "Media reactions to family Firms’ downsizing and upsizing decisions," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    10. Dewenter, Ralf & Dulleck, Uwe & Thomas, Tobias, 2018. "The political coverage index and its application to government capture," Research Papers 6, EcoAustria – Institute for Economic Research.
    11. García-Uribe, Sandra, 2022. "Multidimensional media slant: Complementarities in news reporting by US newspapers," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    12. Bernhardt, Lea & Dewenter, Ralf & Thomas, Tobias, 2020. "Watchdog or loyal servant? Political media bias in US newscasts," DICE Discussion Papers 348, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf Institute for Competition Economics (DICE).
    13. Garz, Marcel, 2018. "Effects of unemployment news on economic perceptions – Evidence from German Federal States," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 172-190.
    14. Anna Kerkhof & Johannes Münster, 2021. "Detecting coverage bias in user-generated content," ECONtribute Discussion Papers Series 057, University of Bonn and University of Cologne, Germany.
    15. Dewenter, Ralf & Linder, Melissa & Thomas, Tobias, 2018. "Can media drive the electorate? The impact of media coverage on party affiliation and voting intentions," Research Papers 7, EcoAustria – Institute for Economic Research.
    16. Thomas, Tobias, 2020. "Zur Rolle der Medien in der Demokratie," DICE Ordnungspolitische Perspektiven 104, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf Institute for Competition Economics (DICE).
    17. Antonio Ciccone & Felix Rusche, 2026. "Stock Market Performance in the Media: Reporting Big News, Missing the Big Picture?," ECONtribute Discussion Papers Series 395, University of Bonn and University of Cologne, Germany.
    18. Hirsch, Patrick & Köhler, Ekkehard A. & Feld, Lars P. & Thomas, Tobias, 2020. ""Whatever it takes!": How tonality of TV-news affects government bond yield spreads during crises," Freiburg Discussion Papers on Constitutional Economics 20/9, Walter Eucken Institut e.V..
    19. Dewenter, Ralf & Linder, Melissa & Thomas, Tobias, 2019. "Can media drive the electorate? The impact of media coverage on voting intentions," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 245-261.

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • L82 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Entertainment; Media
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness

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