Consumer Preferences Drive Media Bias

Consumer audience preferences are found to drive media bias more than ownership or reporter bias according to a study titled What Drives Media Slant, Evidence from US Daily Newspapers. The paper concludes that firms respond most strongly to consumer preferences, challenging the common belief that media bias primarily stems from owners or reporters. The study highlights that a significant portion of what people dislike about the media is attributable to the preferences of the audience rather than solely the media itself.