Biased Coverage of Political Rumors: Partisan Bias in the Media’s Coverage of Political Rumors in the 2017 Presidential Election in South Korea Through Issue Filtering and Framing

Abstract

This study aims to shed light on partisan bias that may appear in conventional media’s coverage of political rumors, using the 2017 presidential election in South Korea as a context. Specifically, we strive to uncover how media’s biased coverage of political rumors is embodied in the way major news media (1) select and (2) frame news stories to damage a candidate whose partisan leaning is less compatible with their ideological tendency. In light of these goals, the results of a content analysis show that the media paid more attention to political rumors concerning a candidate with a challenging ideological stance. Further, findings document that media firms tend to frame political rumors to stress failings concerning a strength of an ideologically discrepant candidate. Essentially, the results of the current research highlight traditional media’s liabilities in biased coverage of political rumors in terms of issue filtering and framing.