The Partisan Advantage of Non-partisan Media: Evidence from Japanese Newspapers

• In Event: Elites and Public Opinion: Perception, Manipulation, Mobilization

Abstract

Partisan media can be a potent driver of public opinion and voter preferences. It may misrepresent both the performance of incumbents and the promise of challengers to the benefit of some parties over others. But does a shift to more non-partisan mass media level the playing field among political rivals? This paper uses recent developments in Japanese mass media to evaluate the effects of less partisan newspapers on public opinion. I compile a new dataset of political articles from Japan’s two most prominent newspapers to demonstrate that they have become similarly neutral in their coverage and sentiment over time. I argue that Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party enjoys an incumbency advantage from the more homogeneous and less critical content of less polarized media. This research has implications for our understanding of political media, elite messaging strategies, and political knowledge.

Author

• Colin Moreshead