All the News That's Fit to Sell

How the Market Transforms Information into News

Business & Finance, Economics, Theory of Economics, Industries & Professions, Industries
Cover of the book All the News That's Fit to Sell by James T. Hamilton, Princeton University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: James T. Hamilton ISBN: 9781400841417
Publisher: Princeton University Press Publication: October 23, 2011
Imprint: Princeton University Press Language: English
Author: James T. Hamilton
ISBN: 9781400841417
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication: October 23, 2011
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Language: English

That market forces drive the news is not news. Whether a story appears in print, on television, or on the Internet depends on who is interested, its value to advertisers, the costs of assembling the details, and competitors' products. But in All the News That's Fit to Sell, economist James Hamilton shows just how this happens. Furthermore, many complaints about journalism--media bias, soft news, and pundits as celebrities--arise from the impact of this economic logic on news judgments.

This is the first book to develop an economic theory of news, analyze evidence across a wide range of media markets on how incentives affect news content, and offer policy conclusions. Media bias, for instance, was long a staple of the news. Hamilton's analysis of newspapers from 1870 to 1900 reveals how nonpartisan reporting became the norm. A hundred years later, some partisan elements reemerged as, for example, evening news broadcasts tried to retain young female viewers with stories aimed at their (Democratic) political interests. Examination of story selection on the network evening news programs from 1969 to 1998 shows how cable competition, deregulation, and ownership changes encouraged a shift from hard news about politics toward more soft news about entertainers.

Hamilton concludes by calling for lower costs of access to government information, a greater role for nonprofits in funding journalism, the development of norms that stress hard news reporting, and the defining of digital and Internet property rights to encourage the flow of news. Ultimately, this book shows that by more fully understanding the economics behind the news, we will be better positioned to ensure that the news serves the public good.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

That market forces drive the news is not news. Whether a story appears in print, on television, or on the Internet depends on who is interested, its value to advertisers, the costs of assembling the details, and competitors' products. But in All the News That's Fit to Sell, economist James Hamilton shows just how this happens. Furthermore, many complaints about journalism--media bias, soft news, and pundits as celebrities--arise from the impact of this economic logic on news judgments.

This is the first book to develop an economic theory of news, analyze evidence across a wide range of media markets on how incentives affect news content, and offer policy conclusions. Media bias, for instance, was long a staple of the news. Hamilton's analysis of newspapers from 1870 to 1900 reveals how nonpartisan reporting became the norm. A hundred years later, some partisan elements reemerged as, for example, evening news broadcasts tried to retain young female viewers with stories aimed at their (Democratic) political interests. Examination of story selection on the network evening news programs from 1969 to 1998 shows how cable competition, deregulation, and ownership changes encouraged a shift from hard news about politics toward more soft news about entertainers.

Hamilton concludes by calling for lower costs of access to government information, a greater role for nonprofits in funding journalism, the development of norms that stress hard news reporting, and the defining of digital and Internet property rights to encourage the flow of news. Ultimately, this book shows that by more fully understanding the economics behind the news, we will be better positioned to ensure that the news serves the public good.

More books from Princeton University Press

Cover of the book The Gamble: Random, or Romney? by James T. Hamilton
Cover of the book Guilty of Indigence by James T. Hamilton
Cover of the book Split Decisions by James T. Hamilton
Cover of the book A World without Why by James T. Hamilton
Cover of the book Poverty and Discrimination by James T. Hamilton
Cover of the book Our Compelling Interests by James T. Hamilton
Cover of the book American Default by James T. Hamilton
Cover of the book Portfolios of the Poor by James T. Hamilton
Cover of the book Ireland's Immortals by James T. Hamilton
Cover of the book The Scandal of Kabbalah by James T. Hamilton
Cover of the book The Language of Global Success by James T. Hamilton
Cover of the book Watchdogs on the Hill by James T. Hamilton
Cover of the book The Question of Psychological Types by James T. Hamilton
Cover of the book The Strategic President by James T. Hamilton
Cover of the book Viewpoints by James T. Hamilton
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy