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Televised inflation: Measuring TV news coverage and its effect on household expectations

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  • Çekin, Semih Emre
  • Polattimur, Hamza

Abstract

This paper introduces a novel TV news index specifically designed to track coverage of rising inflation across major US TV channels: ABC, CBS, CNN, and Fox News. The index is generated daily and aggregated into a monthly measure. Using this index, we analyze the impact of TV news on inflation expectations based on both aggregated monthly and micro-level daily data. We find that only CNN and Fox coverage have significant effects on inflation expectations, and that responses are stronger among women, younger, poorer, and less-educated households. Moreover, the effects are larger when inflation is rising and the inflationary episode is prolonged. The micro data confirm these findings and reveal a partisan bias: Republicans respond more strongly to TV news than Democrats and the effects are larger for Fox than for CNN.

Suggested Citation

  • Çekin, Semih Emre & Polattimur, Hamza, 2025. "Televised inflation: Measuring TV news coverage and its effect on household expectations," ZEW Discussion Papers 25-051, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:zewdip:330315
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • E31 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Price Level; Inflation; Deflation
    • D84 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Expectations; Speculations
    • E58 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Central Banks and Their Policies

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