Capturing the Airwaves, Capturing the Nation? A Field Experiment on State-Run Media Effects in the Wake of a Coup

TLDR

After nondemocratic regime transitions, scholars have struggled to assess media influence, yet putschists often use nationalist messaging to legitimize their rule. The study examines the impact of putschist-controlled broadcasting following Mali's 2012 coup and separatist insurgency. A field experiment distributed radio versus flashlight in a region where state‑run radio was the sole mass media source. Radio exposure increased national identity importance and willingness to delay elections but did not raise explicit approval for the junta, indicating that state broadcasting is less effective at garnering approval than previously thought.

Abstract

Investigating the media's effect on citizens immediately after a nondemocratic regime transition has thus far remained elusive to scholars, despite the frequency of such transitions. This study examines the effect of putschist-controlled broadcasting in the wake of Mali's 2012 coup and separatist insurgency. We leverage a field experiment of a radio (vs. flashlight) distribution program in an area where citizens' only form of mass media is state-run radio. The putschists waged a campaign infused with nationalism to attempt to legitimize their rule. We find that, while radio exposure boosted national identity importance and willingness to delay elections, it did not elevate explicit approval for the junta, which suggests that nondemocratic regimes are less able to win approval using state broadcasting than previously thought, even while such broadcasting may affect citizens' attitudes and identity.