Local media and democracy
Where you have more media, you have more democracy, and where you have less media, you have less democracy
Several recent U.S.-based natural experiments have studied the connection between the existence of local media and democracy. One influential study found that the number of active newspapers has a robust positive effect on political participation, with each additional newspaper increasing both presidential and congressional turnout by approximately 0.3 percentage points. Another study found that after a newspaper closes, municipal borrowing costs increase by 5 to 11 basis points, which imposes additional costs to the municipality. The study concludes that local newspapers hold their governments accountable, keeping municipal borrowing costs low and ultimately saving local taxpayers money. These studies demonstrate the powerful effect that the media has on democracy and governance.
Reliable funding for public interest media leads to support for and engagement with democratic processes
The positive relationship between a robust media sector and democracy are not only applicable to the U.S.--they are global. A new study examines whether and how public media systems contribute to the health of democracies in 33 countries worldwide. The study gathers national economic data, public media funding levels, audience shares, and regulatory data and finds that (1) funding mechanisms that deliver reliable (that is: high levels of secure, multiyear) funding and (2) regulatory structures that establish “arm’s-length” relationships between public media and governments consistently go hand in hand with strong support for and engagement with democratic processes. This study demonstrates that the positive effects of media on democracy and governance is a global phenomenon.
Do you have a study we should share for a future Facty Friday? Send an email to drg.el@usaid.gov!