Mediennutzung und Umweltbewusstsein: Dependenz- und Priming-Effekte

In a comparative perspective, the article is concerned with the contribution of media use to EU citizens’ levels of environmental knowledge and awareness. Mass media are the most important source for environmental information, and media use contributes considerably to the amount of information people hold on environmental issues. In addition, media use bears upon the perception of the burden to the environment, the worry about the state of the environment in one’s own country, and the worries about the environment in general. The explanatory power of media use is largest for those judgments that relate to the parts of the environment that cannot be directly experienced. Besides this result, which is in accordance to the dependency theory of media effects, the analysis corroborates a priming effect: The media affect judgments on the environmental burden one has to suffer and on the state of the environment even if these judgments can be based on one’s own perception. EU citizens, however, complain much less about the burden on their own environment than they worry about the state of the environment in general. This gap also, as is demonstrated, can be traced back, at least in part, to an influence of the media. Results for single EU countries partly differ from these general results, most likely due to differences in how much environmental issues are politicized in the media and how intensely they are covered.     

Aufmerksamkeit und Geld, schenken und zahlen

In recent years economic influences seem to have grown stronger in the media system. This general impression, however, is not supported by general systems theory. Analytically it is possible to distinguish a market trading attention from a market trading money. The interplay of both markets shows a different kind of interdependence between the media system and the economic system. The eminent importance of the market of attention and the far-reaching consequences for media economics are revealed. The latter is a promising area which should incorporate traditional mass media as well as new communication technologies such as the internet.     

Medientransformationen und Entwicklungsprozesse in Mittel- und Osteuropa

15 years after the beginning of the epochal changes in Central and Eastern Europe, it seems increasingly disputable to speak about »Eastern European media« and to regard them as a whole. In analogy to the general transformation, every country has its own typical transformation path, also with respect to the media, creating a broad variety of such paths in the region. Therefore, analyses of the media in this region not only require to assume a differentiated perspective, but it appears also to be important to identify relevant factors that flank and shape the general transformation, and to complement the media analyses by these external parameters. This approach led to the development of a multi-dimensional methodological instrument for media analyses in post-communist countries. It is suitable for mapping three dimensions of media transformation: first, the different transformational stages that document transformational progress; second, the specific historical and cultural as well as political and socio-economical conditions; and third, the diverse levels of the transformational process and the development in the media.     

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.     

Medienwirtschaft und Gesellschaft

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Empathie und Medienempathie

Empathy is the capacity and tendency of a person to recognize, understand, and be sensitive to other people’s emotions. The roots of this construct go back to the psychology of emotions and personality psychology. Communication science frequently makes use of it to describe the experiences and emotions during media reception. However, the question can be asked whether empathy and media empathy are two different constructs requiring different measuring instruments. To begin with, this question will be discussed theoretically with important arguments being presented both in favor of and against the thesis of congruent constructs. Subsequently, a measuring instrument for media empathy will be introduced which is constructed following precisely the tried-and-tested operationalization of empathy. It was employed in two studies, and their findings will be compared with one another. The results display both similarities and marked differences, especially with regard to reception variables. Since communication science uses media empathy to explain the effects of reception, different references to reception variables represent a particularly apt argument for the broad independence of the construct and thus for a separate measuring instrument. The present measuring instrument, developed in the context of a pilot study, will be suggested as a provisionally valid operationalization.     

Medienforschung und Anthropologie

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Desiderata und Perspektiven der Forschung über parasoziale Interaktionen und Beziehungen zu Medienfiguren

Parasocial interactions and relationships are a frequently used framework for studies on media reception in communication research. In spite of its long tradition, however, the concept is still in need of several clarifications. Therefore, this article explores ways to increase the explanatory value of the concept. We briefly present major problems of the definition and conceptualization of parasocial interactions and relationships, namely the understanding of the key elements interaction, relationship, and persona, and suggest first ideas for their solution. Subsequently, opportunities are outlined to enhance the concept by integrating other theories and concepts on media reception and interpersonal perception, taking them from communication research and psychology. Finally, we discuss methodological problems in general and specific shortcomings of the quasi-standard measure, the Parasocial-Interaction-Scale.     

Struktur und Funktion von Propaganda

At first the article reviews classic notions and concepts of propaganda, and introduces, in a first step, a comparative typology of structural features of propaganda. Propaganda emerges as a communicative technique for generating promises, the structure of which is generalising, and which claim truth but are not to be doubted. In terms of substance, it claims an exclusive title to represent, which is maintained over time and socially taken as definitively accepted. Adding meta-claims in substantive, temporal and social terms generates a type of ultrastable structure, the function of which is the generating of truth. Propaganda can therefore be considered as one of the first communicative techniques that was used for generating truth by meta-claims about fictional structures, and for achieving strong effects. The acceptance of propaganda is ensured by communicatively imposing effective sanctions on testing its validity. Thus, propaganda emerges as the most effective instrument of persuasive communication. Criteria for excluding the use of propaganda for ethical reasons are then specified. It must be assumed, however, that in the long run the use of propaganda will increase in media society: for once because of the removal of traditional certitudes of salvation by new doctrines depending on propaganda; and also by globalization and integration in newly available ways of communication.     

Frames und Positionen zur EU-Osterweiterung

While framing theory is concerned with the way media content is presented, news bias theory concentrates on the evaluative aspect. The study integrates both approaches of news structuring. A detailed argument analysis of two German quality newspapers, Die Welt and Frankfurter Rundschau, representative for two opposite editorial viewpoints, was conducted to test the assumptions of both theories. The examination of news coverage related to the accession of Poland, Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Romania to the EU contradicts previous results of framing and news bias research. Apart from finding a pronounced focus on economical topics in both newspapers, they clearly differ in their frames of reference and political positions on the issues, staying in line with their editorial orientation. A comparison of the different accession times reveals a change in the frames of reference and the advocates of these frames.     

??ber Terroristen und Spitzensportler

Islamophobia is more strongly developed in East Germany compared to the western part of the country. Given the lack of personal contact with Muslims in East Germany, islamophobia is probably strongly influenced by media coverage. For this reason, the coverage of two East German regional newspapers, Nordkurier and Volksstimme, is analyzed against the theoretical background of a conjunction of the social-psychological stereotype content model with the communication-scientific concept of framing. Using content analysis and latent class analysis, two so-called stereotype frames were identified. Two thirds of all Islam-related articles use the ??cold and harm frame??. Here, Muslims are often blamed for the lethal consequences of terrorist action, their behaviour is evaluated as cold or immoral, and military interventions against them are discussed. On the other hand, one third of all Islam-related articles belongs to the ??competence and cooperation frame??. Competence is ascribed to Muslims as their success in artistic, athletic or political activities is recognized and other actors?? interest in cooperation in these areas is emphasized. Whereas the ??cold and harm frame?? probably promotes medial segregation, the ??competence and cooperation frame?? is representing an assimilative model of media integration.     

Wissenschaftsjournalismus und Wissenschafts-PR im Wandel

People’s interest in science topics is increasing — as is the coverage of science topics in the media. New popular science magazines and science pages are founded, and science programmes are launched on television. This trend stems from the fact that science topics increasingly affect developments in society and people’s everyday lives, and that they arouse emotions and influence other social systems such as politics, the economy, culture, religion and sports. This article offers an analysis of current changes in science journalism and the public relations of science. A market analysis served as basis for telephone interviews with editorial executives and heads of public relations departments. The interviews focused on respondents’ views on the future of science communication, the handling of science topics in newsrooms, and on future qualifications of science communicators. Evidently, science journalism is becoming more current, more controversial and more entertaining. The study formed the basis of a concept of an interdisciplinary bachelor’s program. This is why the article also deals with the consequences for journalism education.     

Neue Angebote und alte Gewohnheiten

The use of public, private, and all television broadcasting channels in the leisure time between 6 and 11 p.m. after the establishment of the dual broadcasting system in Germany is analyzed for the period between 1987 and 1996. The independent variables are social status, social relationships, as well as transition motivations: the capacity to receive private stations, cohort membership, and time. Data bases are the Media-Analysen 1987–1996. Regression analyses show that the transition can only partly be explained by transition motivations and must be more strongly accounted for by time.     

Lizenzverleger zwischen Monopol und Wettbewerb

The rebirth of a democratic Germany is characterized, as far as the development of media politics is concerned, by an exceptional situation: Neither possession of capital nor inherited rights of disposal decided who was to be permitted to contribute, as a newspaper producer, to relaunching the media. The decisive features were (1) ideals and moral convictions, (2) courage and the experience of resisting the demands of the »Third Reich«, and (3) qualification as a journalist and/or business manager. In this rare and — when looked at from the point of view of the media — ideal constellation, the so-called licence publishers could secure for themselves great media and economic influence until they had to face the competition of the former and now reinstated publishers after 1949. Whether licenced publishers were able to secure their media ideals and corporate philosophies largely depended on whether they could come to an arrangement with reinstated publishers, and on whether they were able to react appropriately to journalistic and economic challenges. The different solutions chosen in the early years of change still influence the German newspaper system in the 21^st century.