Late in December 2023, the former top editor of The New York Times’ editorial page, James Bennet, dropped a bombshell in an article for The Economist. “The leadership of the New York Times is losing control of its principles,” he wrote, saying slanted coverage at the institution is “pervasive.”
In the article, Bennet talked about the pressures driving what he called “liberal bias” at one of the world’s most influential newspapers. While recounting his final days at The New York Times – he resigned amid controversy in 2020 over an op-ed by Republican Senator Tom Cotton – he also discussed what economists call demand- and supply-side factors behind the rise of media bias.
Demand-driven bias happens when newspapers offer slanted news to appeal to readers. Supply-driven bias stems from the ideological leanings of owners or employees. Bennet indicated that both had influenced decision-making at The New York Times.
