Newspapers and political accountability: evidence from Japan

Yazaki, Yukihiro

doi:10.1007/s11127-017-0444-x

Cited by 15 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Overall, the findings mostly support previous research on transparency policies and their link to corruption, i.e. the effects being conditional upon media freedom Besley & Prat, 2006;Brunetti & Weder, 2003;Chowdhury, 2004;Djankov et al, 2003;Ferraz & Finan, 2008;Norris, 2008;Reinikka & Svensson, 2005;Solis & Antenangeli, 2017;Svensson, 2005;Yazaki, 2017). The results add to the previously accumulated knowledge in the field and demonstrate that access to free and pluralistic media and internet might be crucial for any transparency measure to be effective also as an anticorruption measure.…”

Section: Foi Laws and The Moderating Effects Of Press And Internet Freedomsupporting

confidence: 84%

“…However, the information flow is possible only in the media environment with unrestricted conditions for operation, where media are free from censorship, restrictive libel laws or editorial interference from the government or private owners. Scholars have demonstrated that governments are more responsive to their constituents in countries with higher levels of media freedom Besley, Burgess, & Prat, 2002;Besley & Prat, 2006;Brunetti & Weder, 2003;Chowdhury, 2004;Djankov, McLiesh, Nenova, & Shleifer, 2003;Ferraz & Finan, 2008;Norris, 2008;Reinikka & Svensson, 2005;Solis & Antenangeli, 2017;Svensson, 2005;Yazaki, 2017). However, government ownership or control is not the only challenge journalists face that may affect editorial content (Hallin & Mancini, 2012;Voltmer, 2013;Waisbord, 2002).…”

Section: Distinctions Between Foi Laws and Open Government Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Do FOI laws and open government data deliver as anti-corruption policies? Evidence from a cross-country study

Žuffová

2020

Government Information Quarterly

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In election times, political parties promise in their manifestos to pass reforms increasing access to government information to root out corruption and improve public service delivery. Scholars have already offered several fascinating explanations of why governments adopt transparency policies that constrain their choices. However, knowledge of their impacts is limited. Does greater access to information deliver on its promises as an anticorruption policy? While some research has already addressed this question in relation to freedom of information laws, the emergence of new digital technologies enabled new policies, such as open government data. Its effects on corruption remain empirically underexplored due to its novelty and a lack of measurements. In this article, I provide the first empirical study of the relationship between open government data, relative to FOI laws, and corruption. I propose a theoretical framework, which specifies conditions necessary for FOI laws and open government data to affect corruption levels, and I test it on a novel cross-country dataset. The results suggest that the effects of open government data on corruption are conditional upon the quality of media and internet freedom. Moreover, other factors, such as free and fair elections, independent and accountable judiciary, or economic development, are far more critical for tackling corruption than increasing access to information. These findings are important for policies. In particular, digital transparency reforms will not yield results in the anti-corruption fight unless robust provisions safeguarding media and internet freedom complement them.

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Section: Foi Laws and The Moderating Effects Of Press And Internet Freedomsupporting

confidence: 84%

Section: Distinctions Between Foi Laws and Open Government Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Do FOI laws and open government data deliver as anti-corruption policies? Evidence from a cross-country study

Žuffová

2020

Government Information Quarterly

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“…(e.g., Bennett, Lawrence, & Livingston, 2008) and across varying cultures of journalism (Hanitzsch et al, 2011;Mellado & Van Dalen, 2014). Deviations from the ideal raise concerns because research has consistently linked press freedom to reduced rates of corruption (Brunetti & Weder, 2003;Yazaki, 2017). Despite empirical real-world disappointments, however, the watchdog ideal remains integral to much journalism scholarship.…”

Section: Professional Scholarly and Folk Approaches To The Watchdog I...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“The Media Covers Up a Lot of Things”: Watchdog Ideals Meet Folk Theories of Journalism

Palmer

Toff

Nielsen³

2020

Journalism Studies

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The idealized view of the press as an institution that operates independently from private and political interests and tries to hold power to account is central to many journalists' selfconception and extensive academic scholarship on news. Yet surveys find significant numbers of citizens reject such views about the role of news in society. This article draws on in-depth interviews with a strategic sample of 83 news avoiders in Spain and the UK to investigate "folk theories" about the relationship between news and politics. Instead of believing in the watchdog ideal, many saw the news media as, at best, irrelevant and, at worst, actively complicit with a distant and self-serving political and economic establishment. Instead of bringing important subjects to light, many saw the news as actively covering them up. The difference between professional and scholarly theories that stress the watchdog role on the one hand, and folk theories where this notion is completely absent on the other, highlights the specific cultural challenge journalism faces today. Cynicism about the role of news in society poses a problem that transcends the specific economic, political, and technological challenges that currently preoccupy many journalism professionals and institutions.

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“…Bruns and Himmler's study of 150 Norwegian newspapers found that areas with increased local newspaper circulation were associated with higher levels of local government efficiency thanks to better accountability of local politicians (Himmler, 2011). A Japanese study produced similar results (Yazaki, 2017). A US study found that in areas not covered by local press, congressmen worked less for their communities by several measures and were less likely to vote against the party line.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Death of a Watchdog: Reduced Coverage of Coroners’ Inquests by Local Media

Binns

Arnold

2020

Journalism Practice

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This research project has four strands: quantifying reporting of inquests; quantifying publicly available information from coroners' offices; investigating reasons for lack of coverage; and establishing solutions for making accounts and verdicts of inquests more accessible in a changed media landscape.Results show an overall reporting rate of only 11 per cent. Coverage varies wildly, with some "news deserts" where inquests are rarely reported. Deaths of younger people are more likely to be reported, as are male deaths. Information provided by coroners' offices also varies wildly despite national guidelines updated three years' ago recommending greater transparency. This report investigates the reasons for a lack of public scrutiny of coroners' courts by local media. Deaths may go unreported due to: the collapse of local newspapers and reduced staff in surviving organisations; the centralisation of police and newspaper offices, leading to fewer direct contacts between police and journalists; and a general cultural shift of passing media inquiries to a "communications team" which means news is filtered to give a more positive sense of police success.Recommendations: better implementation of existing guidelines: routine release of information regarding all deaths at which emergency services attend; and closer relationships with coroners' officers at inquest opening stage.

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Newspapers and political accountability: evidence from Japan

Cited by 15 publications

References 25 publications

Do FOI laws and open government data deliver as anti-corruption policies? Evidence from a cross-country study

Do FOI laws and open government data deliver as anti-corruption policies? Evidence from a cross-country study

“The Media Covers Up a Lot of Things”: Watchdog Ideals Meet Folk Theories of Journalism

Death of a Watchdog: Reduced Coverage of Coroners’ Inquests by Local Media

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