Opinion
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Surprise! Tax-supported press covers government corruption less often
By: Mark Tapscott
Editorial Page Editor
10/28/09 11:36 AM EDT
Wow! Can you believe? A new multiple regression analysis-based study of four Argentine newspapers found journalists there provided less coverage of government corruption as their newsrooms received more government support in the form of official advertising and other forms of public revenue, according to the Nieman Journalism Lab.
The study was conducted by Harvard’s Rafael Di Tella and Northwestern’s Ignacio Franceschelli.
"Their analysis found a 'huge correlation' between, in any given month, how much money went to a newspaper and how much corruption coverage appeared on its front page. For example, if the government ad revenue in a month increased by one standard deviation — around $70,000 U.S. — corruption coverage would decrease by roughly half of a front page," according to Nieman.
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