News credibility and the quest for clicks

Kohei Kawamura; Mark T. Le Quement

doi:10.1016/j.jpubeco.2023.105005

News credibility and the quest for clicks

Kohei Kawamura, Mark T. Le Quement

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

10 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

We examine a model of dynamic communication by a media outlet. In each period, the uninformed public can consult the outlet’s report at a cost. The outlet, which is primarily driven by profit maximization, has an incentive to induce uncertainty in order to encourage future consultation and thereby generate revenue. In an intermediate cost range, the public and the outlet may be worse off with a cheaper cost of access since it leads the outlet to distort information more, by making the public’s future consultation decision more responsive to the current report.

Original language	English
Article number	105005
Journal	Journal of Public Economics
Volume	227
Early online date	21 Oct 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2023.105005
Publication status	Published - Nov 2023

Access to Document

10.1016/j.jpubeco.2023.105005Licence: CC BY

1-s2.0-S0047272723001871-mainFinal published version, 1.17 MBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

@article{e9eed8773f324529b044a0b0157b1b68,

title = "News credibility and the quest for clicks",

abstract = "We examine a model of dynamic communication by a media outlet. In each period, the uninformed public can consult the outlet{\textquoteright}s report at a cost. The outlet, which is primarily driven by profit maximization, has an incentive to induce uncertainty in order to encourage future consultation and thereby generate revenue. In an intermediate cost range, the public and the outlet may be worse off with a cheaper cost of access since it leads the outlet to distort information more, by making the public{\textquoteright}s future consultation decision more responsive to the current report.",

author = "Kohei Kawamura and {Le Quement}, {Mark T.}",

year = "2023",

month = nov,

doi = "10.1016/j.jpubeco.2023.105005",

language = "English",

volume = "227",

journal = "Journal of Public Economics",

issn = "0047-2727",

publisher = "Elsevier",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - News credibility and the quest for clicks

AU - Kawamura, Kohei

AU - Le Quement, Mark T.

PY - 2023/11

Y1 - 2023/11

N2 - We examine a model of dynamic communication by a media outlet. In each period, the uninformed public can consult the outlet’s report at a cost. The outlet, which is primarily driven by profit maximization, has an incentive to induce uncertainty in order to encourage future consultation and thereby generate revenue. In an intermediate cost range, the public and the outlet may be worse off with a cheaper cost of access since it leads the outlet to distort information more, by making the public’s future consultation decision more responsive to the current report.

AB - We examine a model of dynamic communication by a media outlet. In each period, the uninformed public can consult the outlet’s report at a cost. The outlet, which is primarily driven by profit maximization, has an incentive to induce uncertainty in order to encourage future consultation and thereby generate revenue. In an intermediate cost range, the public and the outlet may be worse off with a cheaper cost of access since it leads the outlet to distort information more, by making the public’s future consultation decision more responsive to the current report.

U2 - 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2023.105005

DO - 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2023.105005

M3 - Article

VL - 227

JO - Journal of Public Economics

JF - Journal of Public Economics

SN - 0047-2727

M1 - 105005

ER -