The Effects of Mass Media on Public Policy

April 12-13, 2007

Washington DC, USA

Information is as key an ingredient in the policy production process as it is in the market production process. But the production, analysis, and dissemination of information do not occur spontaneously and are not without cost; media businesses are the main intermediaries that relay information on economic and political issues between the state, business, and civil society. Understanding the economics of the media business; its financial constraints, regulations, and incentives, helps us better understand news broadcasting policies and practices and how they affect public policy decision making.

This conference examined how mass media reporting influences economic and political processes and outcomes. It explored recent research on the effects of news reporting on economic and political outcomes, the factors that slant or bias media reporting, and the regulations that some countries have put in place to protect “the public interest.”