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Man Bites Dog? Editorial Choices and Biases in the Reporting of Weather Events

Author

Listed:
  • Mastrorocco, Nicola
  • Ornaghi, Arianna
  • Pograxha, Matteo
  • Wolton, Stephane

Abstract

Every day, editors of media outlets decide what is news. In this paper, we unpack the process of news production by looking at US local TV newscasts' coverage of weather events, which we define as deviations in temperatures from the historical mean. We show that large deviations receive substantially more coverage than typical temperatures, and the greater the deviation, the higher the coverage. We document a clear publication bias in the coverage of these events. In summer, the increase in coverage of deviations above (below) the historical mean is more pronounced in TV stations operating in Democratic-leaning (Republican-leaning) media markets. We further study how much emphasis weather news receives, whether stations engage in presentation bias, and offer empirical and theoretical evidence that demand rather than supply forces drive coverage.

Suggested Citation

  • Mastrorocco, Nicola & Ornaghi, Arianna & Pograxha, Matteo & Wolton, Stephane, 2023. "Man Bites Dog? Editorial Choices and Biases in the Reporting of Weather Events," CEPR Discussion Papers 18383, Centre for Economic Policy Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:18383
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    File URL: https://cepr.org/publications/DP18383
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D80 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - General
    • L82 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Entertainment; Media
    • P00 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - General - - - General

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