A media-based indicator for studying functional cross-border regions

Administrative borders rarely match those of functional cross-border regions (CBRs). The mismatch hampers the study of CBRs. Here a novel media-based indicator is proposed for studying functional CBRs. The indicator is based on the similarity of topics, tone and geographical focus of articles in newspapers on adjacent sides of a border. The feasibility of the indicator was tested with three US–Canadian cases. The indicator aligns with tangible cross-border flow data (travellers and goods) proving its potential worth as a new people-centric tool for investigating functional CBRs. The metric can withstand abrupt crisis (such as the COVID-19 pandemic) in border permeability.