News media and the state policy process: perspectives from legislators and political professionals

Abstract

We investigate the influence of the mass media in the policy process from the perspective of Abstract political professionals in the states and the ratings of state legislators. We develop a theoretical explanation for variations in the perceived importance of the media based on the attributes of state legislatures, the structure and activity of state press corps, as well as individual characteristics of lawmakers. In developing this theoretical approach to the relative influence of news media in state policymaking, we draw on contemporary political communication scholarship, as well as in-depth interviews with public information officers conducted in six states. We test our expectations using a hierarchical linear model of media influence ratings collected in the mid-1990s by Carey, Neimi, and Powell (2002b), merged with contextual measures of attributes of state press corps, tapping their ability to monitor and investigate officials as well as their follow through with covering state government. We find that legislative professionalism conditions the relationship between the attributes of the press corps and their perceived influence on the policy process.