Chapter 17. Media Capture : Empirical Evidence

This chapter overviews the empirical literature on the determinants and the consequences of media capture, i.e., the situation in which governments or other interest groups try to control the content of media outlets. We start by examining the evidence on the effect of media capture on the content of media outlets. Then we discuss the methods governments and other special interests use to control media. We review the literature on the determinants of media capture and the factors that affect the likelihood of media capture. Next, we present evidence on the effects of captured media on the behavior of people, as well as the effects of independent media in a captured environment. We conclude by discussing the factors that limit the effect of propaganda.