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Do Newspapers Matter? Short-run and Long-run Evidence from the Closure of The Cincinnati Post

Author

Listed:
  • Sam Schulhofer-Wohl
  • Miguel Garrido
Abstract
The Cincinnati Post published its last edition on New Year's Eve 2007, leaving the Cincinnati Enquirer as the only daily newspaper in the market. The next year, fewer candidates ran for municipal office in the Kentucky suburbs most reliant on the Post, incumbents became more likely to win reelection, and voter turnout and campaign spending fell. These changes happened even though the Enquirer at least temporarily increased its coverage of the Post's former strongholds. Voter turnout remained depressed through 2010, nearly three years after the Post closed, but the other effects diminished with time. We exploit a difference-in-differences strategy and the fact that the Post's closing date was fixed 30 years in advance to rule out some non-causal explanations for our results. Although our findings are statistically imprecise, they demonstrate that newspapers - even underdogs such as the Post, which had a circulation of just 27,000 when it closed - can have a substantial and measurable impact on public life.

Suggested Citation

  • Sam Schulhofer-Wohl & Miguel Garrido, 2009. "Do Newspapers Matter? Short-run and Long-run Evidence from the Closure of The Cincinnati Post," NBER Working Papers 14817, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:14817
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kahn, Kim Fridkin & Kenney, Patrick J., 2002. "The Slant of the News: How Editorial Endorsements Influence Campaign Coverage and Citizens' Views of Candidates," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 96(2), pages 381-394, June.
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    3. Alan S. Gerber & Dean Karlan & Daniel Bergan, 2009. "Does the Media Matter? A Field Experiment Measuring the Effect of Newspapers on Voting Behavior and Political Opinions," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 1(2), pages 35-52, April.
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    5. Chun-Fang Chiang & Brian Knight, 2011. "Media Bias and Influence: Evidence from Newspaper Endorsements," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 78(3), pages 795-820.
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H70 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - General
    • K21 - Law and Economics - - Regulation and Business Law - - - Antitrust Law
    • L82 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Entertainment; Media
    • N82 - Economic History - - Micro-Business History - - - U.S.; Canada: 1913-

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