Skandalberichterstattung in den Medien und die Folgen für die Demokratie

The worry that political scandals harm democracy is increasingly discussed whenever political affairs create public clamor. As people mostly learn about scandals by way of the media, the question arises whether intense coverage of scandals will have a detrimental effect on attitudes toward the legitimacy of the democratic system. Using survey and content analysis data, this research tests whether an influence of coverage on attitudes to the democratic system can be ascertained. It turns out that, aside from other factors, the use of certain newspapers and the use of informative media content with few political subjects negatively affect attitudes to the democratic system. Negative effects of scandal coverage were not found, though. Further analyses, however, revealed that the perception and evaluation of news coverage did have a clear effect on attitudes toward the legitimacy of democracy. Perception and evaluation of news coverage, the conception of politics, and attitudes to the political system form a complex cognitive texture that turns out to be rather delicate.     

Beziehen sich Medien immer mehr auf Medien?

The media are becoming more and more media-referential. This thesis has become quite common among communication scholars. When reviewing the relevant literature, however, it becomes clear that terms such as self-referentiality or media-orientation are used to decribe a great variety of different phenomena. In addition, there is a lack of empirical evidence to support the notion of a growing frequency of media references in the media. Moreover, the discussion about media reliance and its changes is based on different theoretical approaches, some of which do not make any reference to other such approaches. Against that backdrop, this article first identifies different dimensions of self-or media-referentiality. Second, empirical evidence is presented that speaks for or against an increase of self-or media-referentiality. Third, the usual theoretical approaches used in explanations of self-or media-referentiality are discussed. Fourth, it is explained how an integrative social theory — the structural-individualistic approach — can be used as a basis for the explanation of changes in self-or media-referentiality. Finally, possible effects of such a development are discussed.     

Medien und Integration

Although attention to the relationship between social integration and media has increased over the years, a gap remains in terms of quantitative content analysis on this topic. This applies particularly to the content of foreign-language media, probably due in part to the difficult operationalization of the concept of ??integration??. The paper outlines an action theory-based framework for the identification and empirical analysis of integration-related media content. The ??integrative function?? of the media can be understood as the dissemination of matching definitions of stereotyped situations to support individuals in successfully coordinating their actions. Of particular importance are four processes that grant access to societal resources: (1) Culturation, (2) Placement, (3) Interaction, and (4) Identification. These processes represent a logical point of reference for an empirical operationalization and analysis of integration-relevant media content (conceived as meta-messages). To test this framework, a focus study of Turkish-language media was conducted. The results provide evidence that the concept allows a broader perspective and detailed analysis of media content concerning integration and the processes involved. Overall however, integration-related content only plays a marginal role in Turkish-language media, at least in times of routine coverage.     

Macht der Neuen Medien?

Virtual reality media mark the latest milestone in media evolution in respect to the media’s capacity to involve users’ senses and perceptual resources. Therefore, these new media are assumed to hold an especially strong potential to influence their users. Based on a conceptual model from presence research, this study explicates the potentially powerful effects of virtual media as users’ impression of ?being overwhelmed‘ by the medium, which can manifest in different steps (e.g., attraction of attention, suspension of disbelief, or presence). Subsequently, an experiment (N = 85) tests the impact of key characteristics of virtual media (sensory immersion and interactivity) on the conceptualized different steps of ?being overwhelmed‘. The study uses the example of a virtual museum. Both self-report data and a machine-based procedure (Secondary Task Reaction Times) are applied to measure the state (types) of ?being overwhelmed‘. Results indicate that the general assumption of powerful effects of virtual media should be specified in terms of person x situation models because the subjects’ personal characterists also affected the qualitiy and intensity of users being ?overwhelmed‘.