Members of both political parties frequently allege the existence of political bias in the media, yet there have been few systematic studies of such bias to date and none that examines whether the media treat Democratic and Republican presidents differently. AEI scholars John R. Lott Jr. and Kevin A. Hassett have developed a simple test for political bias by comparing, in 389 newspapers, how economic reports on unemployment, GDP, durable goods, and retail sales have been covered under different presidential administrations from Ronald Reagan to the present. Following Lott and Hassett’s presentation of their findings, Stephen Hess of the Brookings Institution and George Washington University, Jack Shafer of Slate, and George Washington University economist Donald O. Parsons will respond.
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