Econ Papers Daily / 期刊论文
法治预测对记者的信任
The Rule of Law Predicts Trust in Journalists
摘要
Insufficient trust in journalists creates space for disinformation. We ask whether institutions can safeguard trust in journalists. Our main finding is that the rule of law is positively and robustly associated with trust in journalists. The rule of law arguably promotes trustworthy behavior by punishing deceit and dishonesty, thereby fostering trust. Robustness checks support this result. Moderation analysis indicates that the relationship between the rule of law and trust in journalists is weaker in low-income countries; this difference vanishes once gross domestic product per capita, a variable strongly correlated with the rule of lawyer negatively associated with trust in journalists, is taken into account. A heterogeneous treatment analysis using the COVID-19 pandemic as an exogenous shock to trust levels offers suggestive evidence against reverse causality. Though exploratory, our findings point to the importance of high-quality legal institutions in combatting distrust in journalists.
中文摘要
对记者的信任不足为虚假信息提供了空间。我们探究制度能否维护对记者的信任。主要发现是，法治水平与对记者的信任呈稳健的正相关关系。法治通过惩罚欺骗与不诚实行为，促进可信赖行为，从而培育信任。稳健性检验支持这一结果。调节效应分析表明，在低收入国家，法治与记者信任之间的关联较弱；一旦考虑人均国内生产总值（这一与法治高度相关且与记者信任呈负相关的变量），该差异便消失。利用新冠疫情作为信任水平的外生冲击进行的异质性处理分析，提供了反向因果关系的提示性证据。尽管本研究属于探索性分析，但研究结果凸显了高质量法律制度在对抗对记者不信任中的重要性。