Misinformation During a Pandemic

Leonardo Bursztyn, Aakaash Rao, Christopher Roth and David Yanagizawa-Drott
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Leonardo Bursztyn: University of Chicago and NBER
Aakaash Rao: Harvard University
David Yanagizawa-Drott: University of Zurich and CEPR

CAGE Online Working Paper Series from Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE)

Abstract: We study the effects of COVID-19 coverage early in the pandemic by the two most popular cable news shows in the US, both on Fox News, on health outcomes. We document large differences in content between the shows and in cautious behavior among viewers. Through both a selection-on-observables strategy and a novel instrumental variable approach, we find that areas with greater exposure to the show downplaying the threat of COVID-19 experienced a greater number of cases and deaths. We assess magnitudes through an epidemiological model highlighting the role of externalities and provide evidence that misinformation is a key underlying mechanism.

Keywords: Media; Health; Coronavirus JEL Classification: D1; I31; Z13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hea
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (91)

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https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/research/c ... tions/wp481.2020.pdf

Related works:
Working Paper: Misinformation During a Pandemic (2020)
Working Paper: Misinformation During a Pandemic (2020)
Working Paper: Misinformation during a Pandemic (2020)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cge:wacage:481

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