The Post published its last edition on New Year's Eve 2007, leaving The Cincinnati Enquirer as the only daily newspaper in the market. The next year, fewer candidates ran for municipal office in the suburbs most reliant on the Post, incumbents became more likely to win re-election, and voter turnout fell. The researchers exploit a "difference-in-differences" strategy -- comparing changes in outcomes before and after the Post's closure in suburbs where the paper offered more or less intensive coverage -- to rule out some non-causal explanations for these results. Although the findings are statistically imprecise, they demonstrate that papers -- even underdogs such as the Post, which had a circulation of just 27,000 when it closed -- can have a substantial and measurable impact on public life.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Cincy: Princeton study finds, yes, papers matter
From the summary of a new study by Princeton University scholars, "Do newspapers matter? Evidence from the closure of The Cincinnati Post." The study offers a case study of the consequences of closing a paper. It is the first analysis known to measure the political impact of preserving competition through JOAs like those in Tucson and Detroit.
The Post published its last edition on New Year's Eve 2007, leaving The Cincinnati Enquirer as the only daily newspaper in the market. The next year, fewer candidates ran for municipal office in the suburbs most reliant on the Post, incumbents became more likely to win re-election, and voter turnout fell. The researchers exploit a "difference-in-differences" strategy -- comparing changes in outcomes before and after the Post's closure in suburbs where the paper offered more or less intensive coverage -- to rule out some non-causal explanations for these results. Although the findings are statistically imprecise, they demonstrate that papers -- even underdogs such as the Post, which had a circulation of just 27,000 when it closed -- can have a substantial and measurable impact on public life.
The Post published its last edition on New Year's Eve 2007, leaving The Cincinnati Enquirer as the only daily newspaper in the market. The next year, fewer candidates ran for municipal office in the suburbs most reliant on the Post, incumbents became more likely to win re-election, and voter turnout fell. The researchers exploit a "difference-in-differences" strategy -- comparing changes in outcomes before and after the Post's closure in suburbs where the paper offered more or less intensive coverage -- to rule out some non-causal explanations for these results. Although the findings are statistically imprecise, they demonstrate that papers -- even underdogs such as the Post, which had a circulation of just 27,000 when it closed -- can have a substantial and measurable impact on public life.
2 comments:
Jim says: "Proceed with caution; this is a free-for-all comment zone. I try to correct or clarify incorrect information. But I can't catch everything. Please keep your posts focused on Gannett and media-related subjects. Note that I occasionally review comments in advance, to reject inappropriate ones. And I ignore hostile posters, and recommend you do, too."
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
The average age of a Post reader
ReplyDeletewas over 74 yrs old.
Not sure how their study is applicable for elderly readers.
7:20: I subscribed to the Post for 22 years - from the day I moved to Cincinnati until it's last day of publication, at which point I was a mere 54. I still miss it.
ReplyDelete