The Media and Foreign Powers: Does Market Access Matter for News Reporting?

• 成果类型: Article; Early Access
• 署名作者: Chen, Heng; Han, Li
• 署名单位: University of Hong Kong
• 刊物名称: ECONOMIC JOURNAL
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0013-0133
• DOI: 10.1093/ej/ueaf129
• 发表日期: 2026
• 关键词: Bias; coverage; CORRUPTION; CENSORSHIP; BEHAVIOR; IMPACT

摘要

Does news media coverage of autocracies hinge on their relationship with those regimes? Exploiting a large-scale media crackdown in May 2019 in China, in which multiple influential UK- and US-based news sites were blocked, we find that news outlets adopted a more negative tone in their coverage of China and reported more frequently on sensitive topics such as human rights, after being blocked, compared to those with no access change. Such effects are absent in news on economic topics and opinion articles. We investigate several mechanisms underlying these findings, including reduced self-censorship, diminished journalistic resources and changes in readership composition after losing access.