Economic Censorship and Free Speech: The Circle of Communication between Advertisers, Media, and Consumers

Anecdotal evidence of economic censorship (EC) is plentiful. It is well documented that media avoid certain topics, or even present biased news coverage, in acquiescence to advertiser demands. The result is diminished information for media users. Observers, explicitly or implicitly, have blamed the advertising industry for such “censorship.” Rather than examine just the monetary pressures placed on media, this paper considers the broader economic and communication dynamics involved in those media decisions. In exploring these issues, the authors posit a model which characterizes EC as an appropriate consequence of free speech, rather than an impingement on it.