Media Ownership and Story Tone in Campaign News

In: American politics research, Band 41, Heft 1, S. 24-53

Abstract

The focus of this article is to understand the determinants of negative, positive, or neutral tone in campaign news coverage. Much of the extant literature suggests, to some extent, the negativity bias often seen in political news stems from profit making objectives. This article asserts that news outlet ownership structures and economic incentives, coupled with political context, influence the likelihood of positive, neutral, or negative tone in campaign news. The findings presented herein suggest that corporate, chain, and nonlocal ownership all have consequences for campaign news tone. [Reprinted by permission of Sage Publications Inc., copyright holder.]