How Newspapers Reveal Political Power

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (04) ◽  
pp. 661-678 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela Ban ◽  
Alexander Fouirnaies ◽  
Andrew B Hall ◽  
James M Snyder
Keyword(s):  
Political Science ◽  
Political Power ◽  
News Coverage ◽  
Newspaper Coverage ◽  
Relative Power ◽  
State Party ◽  
Political Actors ◽  
Political News ◽  
Strong Indicator ◽  
Word Frequencies

Political science is in large part the study of power, but power itself is difficult to measure. We argue that we can use newspaper coverage—in particular, the relative amount of space devoted to particular subjects in newspapers—to measure the relative power of an important set of political actors and offices. We use a new dataset containing nearly 50 million historical newspaper pages from 2,700 local US newspapers over the years 1877–1977. We define and discuss a measure of power we develop based on observed word frequencies, and we validate it through a series of analyses. Overall, we find that the relative coverage of political actors and of political offices is a strong indicator of political power for the cases we study. To illustrate its usefulness, we then apply the measure to understand when (and where) state party committees lost their power. Taken together, the paper sheds light on the nature of political news coverage and offers both a new dataset and a new measure for studying political power in a wide set of contexts.

19. Political Communication

2020 ◽  
pp. 336-358
Author(s):  
Frank Esser ◽  
Barbara Pfetsch
Keyword(s):  
Political Communication ◽  
Political Institutions ◽  
News Coverage ◽  
Political Information ◽  
Positive Contribution ◽  
Political Actors ◽  
Political News ◽  
National Differences ◽  
Message Production ◽  
Usage Patterns

This chapter examines the dimensions of the political communication system. It first explains the rationale for a comparative study of political communication before discussing relevant models of relationship between media and political institutions, as well as differences in political communication cultures among media and political elites. It then reviews findings on country-specific reporting styles in political news coverage and evaluates divergent approaches in government communication and election communication. On the side of the citizens, the chapter explores cross-national differences in the consumption of political news, along with the positive contribution of public service broadcasters for informed and enlightened citizenship. Finally, it looks at political information flows, comparing message production by political actors, political message production by media actors, usage patterns of political information, and effects of political communication.

19. Political communication

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Esser ◽  
Barbara Pfetsch
Keyword(s):  
Political Communication ◽  
Political Institutions ◽  
News Coverage ◽  
Political Information ◽  
Positive Contribution ◽  
Political Actors ◽  
Political News ◽  
National Differences ◽  
Message Production ◽  
Usage Patterns

This chapter examines the dimensions of the political communication system. It first explains the rationale for a comparative study of political communication before discussing relevant models of relationship between media and political institutions as well as differences in political communication cultures among media and political elites. It then reviews findings on country-specific reporting styles in political news coverage and evaluates divergent approaches in government communication and election communication. On the side of the citizens, the chapter explores cross-national differences in the consumption of political news, along with the positive contribution of public service broadcasters for informed and enlightened citizenship. Finally, it looks at political information flows, comparing message production by political actors, political message production by media actors, usage patterns of political information, and effects of political communication.

One Bias Fits All? Three Types of Media Bias and Their Effects on Party Preferences

2015 ◽  
Vol 44 (8) ◽  
pp. 1125-1148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jakob-Moritz Eberl ◽  
Hajo G. Boomgaarden ◽  
Markus Wagner
Keyword(s):  
Media Coverage ◽  
Party Identification ◽  
News Coverage ◽  
Media Bias ◽  
Parliamentary Election ◽  
Press Releases ◽  
Political Actors ◽  
Political News ◽  
Party Press ◽  
Using Data

Bias in political news coverage may have a profound influence on voter opinions and preferences. However, the concept of media bias actually encompasses different sub-types: Visibility bias is the salience of political actors, tonality bias the evaluation of these actors, and agenda bias the extent to which parties address preferred issues in media coverage. The present study is the first to explore how each type of bias influences party preferences. Using data from the Austrian parliamentary election campaign of 2013, we combine an online panel survey ( n = 1,285) with measures of media bias from content analyses of party press releases ( n = 1,922) and media coverage in eight newspapers ( n = 6,970). We find substantial effects on party preferences for tonality bias and agenda bias, while visibility bias has no clear impact. Voters who are less politically sophisticated and lack a party identification are more susceptible to bias, and media bias can also reinforce existing partisan identities.

Everybody Follows the Crowd?

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Obermaier ◽  
Thomas Koch ◽  
Christian Baden
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Design ◽  
News Coverage ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Election Campaigns ◽  
Bandwagon Effect ◽  
Political News ◽  
Election Results ◽  
Opinion Polls ◽  
Electoral Preferences

Abstract. Opinion polls are a well-established part of political news coverage, especially during election campaigns. At the same time, there has been controversial debate over the possible influences of such polls on voters’ electoral choices. The most prominent influence discussed is the bandwagon effect: It states that voters tend to support the expected winner of an upcoming election, and use polls to determine who the likely winner will be. This study investigated the mechanisms underlying the effect. In addition, we inquired into the role of past electoral performances of a candidate and analyzed how these (as well as polls) are used as heuristic cues for the assessment of a candidate’s personal characteristics. Using an experimental design, we found that both polls and past election results influence participants’ expectations regarding which candidate will succeed. Moreover, higher competence was attributed to a candidate, if recipients believe that the majority of voters favor that candidate. Through this attribution of competence, both information about prior elections and current polls shaped voters’ electoral preferences.

Media Malaise and the Decline of Legitimacy

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Van Aelst
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
News Coverage ◽  
Political Support ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
Political News ◽  
Negative Tone ◽  
Election News ◽  
Over Time

This chapter analyzes media malaise theories and their consequences for legitimacy. These theories argue that the increasing availability of information through new and old media and increasingly negative tone of media are to blame for declining legitimacy. The chapter examines these claims by providing a systematic review of empirical research on media and political support. It first investigates whether news coverage has become more negative over time, and then examines the micro process that might explain the link between media coverage and political support. Empirical evidence suggests that where coverage has become more negative, this occurred before the 1990s and has levelled off since, and is concentrated primarily in election news. Negative political news does have a modest impact on political support once controlled for level of education, but that effect can be positive and negative, depending on the medium, the receiver, and the indicator of political support.

scholarly journals Media Systems and Attention Cycles: Volume and Topics of News Coverage on COVID-19 in the United States and China

2021 ◽  
pp. 107769902110494
Author(s):  
Christopher D. Wirz ◽  
Anqi Shao ◽  
Luye Bao ◽  
Emily L. Howell ◽  
Hannah Monroe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
News Coverage ◽  
The United States ◽  
Newspaper Coverage ◽  
System Level ◽  
Outbreak Response ◽  
Rich Media ◽  
Issue Attention ◽  
Media Systems ◽  
Over Time

We examined initial newspaper coverage of the COVID-19 outbreak (January–May 2020) in the United States and China, countries with contrasting media systems and pandemic experiences. We join the context-rich media systems literature and the longitudinal nature of the issue-attention literature to expand each by providing more system-level context for explaining how media cover an issue over time. U.S. coverage peaked later and stayed consistently high, while Chinese coverage was more variable. The most prominent topics in Chinese coverage were related to domestic outbreak response, while U.S. coverage focused on politics, highlighting how issue-attention cycles differ across countries.

scholarly journals Want to understand local news? Make a map

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
April Lindgren ◽  
Christina Wong
Keyword(s):  
Political Science ◽  
Multidisciplinary Approach ◽  
News Coverage ◽  
Cultural Analysis ◽  
Local News ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Journalism Studies ◽  
Language Studies ◽  
Starting Point

Critics have suggested that scholars seeking to advance journalism studies must adopt a more multidisciplinary approach to research, one that looks beyond the strict confines of sociology, history, language studies, political science, or cultural analysis. This paper argues that the geography of news coverage is a valuable starting point for scholars who wish to understand what local news gets reported, why and how it gets reported, and the potential consequences of such news coverage. The work of the Local News Research Project at Ryerson University is introduced to illustrate how maps that reveal the geospatial aspects of local news can foster multidisciplinary investigations that push researchers beyond the traditional silos of journalism scholarship.

scholarly journals Balanced Journalism Amplifies Minority Positions: A Case Study of the Newspaper Coverage of a Fluoridation Plebiscite

2018 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon J. Kiss ◽  
Karly Rath ◽  
Andrea Perrella
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
North America ◽  
News Coverage ◽  
Newspaper Coverage ◽  
Letters To The Editor ◽  
Public Opinion Surveys ◽  
Local Media ◽  
Analyse De Contenu

Background  Public opinion surveys usually report majority support for fluoridation in North America. Yet many local plebiscites produce opposite results. One possible reason is the nature of local media coverage.Analysis  This article reports on a content analysis of news coverage and letters to the editor about a fluoridation plebiscite in Waterloo, Ontario. Qualitative research suggested that the groups opposed to fluoridation were more motivated and better organized than those in support. The net effect was news coverage more neutral toward fluoridation than supportive or critical, predominantly framed in terms of risks rather than benefits.Conclusion and implications  The findings here emphasize the reactive nature of contemporary journalism. In local fluoridation plebiscites, champions are required to produce news coverage that better conveys the benefits to the public.Contexte  Normalement, dans les sondages d’opinion publique en Amérique du Nord, la majorité des répondants appuient la fluorisation. Pourtant, au niveau local, plusieurs référendums obtiennent des résultats contraires. Une raison possible pour ce contraste est la couverture médiatique locale.Analyse  Cet article présente une analyse de contenu effectuée sur la couverture médiatique et les tribunes libres concernant un référendum sur la fluorisation tenu à Waterloo (Ontario). Cette recherche qualitative suggère que, dans ce cas, les groupes opposés à la fluorisation étaient plus motivés et mieux organisés que ceux qui appuyaient celle-ci. En conséquence, la couverture de la fluorisation tendait à être neutre plutôt que positive ou négative, avec un accent mis sur les risques plutôt que les bienfaits.Conclusions et implications  Les résultats de cette recherche soulignent le caractère réactif du journalisme contemporain. En conséquence, dans les référendums locaux, les partisans de la fluorisation auront intérêt à se mobiliser afin d’encourager des reportages plus axés sur les bienfaits de celle-ci.

scholarly journals Covering the Campaign: News, Elections, and the Information Environment in Emerging Democracies

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey B. Arnold ◽  
Aaron Erlich ◽  
Danielle F. Jung ◽  
James D. Long
Keyword(s):  
News Coverage ◽  
Information Environment ◽  
Machine Learning Techniques ◽  
Government Performance ◽  
Emerging Democracies ◽  
Political Actors ◽  
Electoral Outcomes ◽  
Learning Techniques ◽  
Election Coverage

Scholars debate whether and how campaigns influence political behavior and electoral outcomes. No consistent theoretical framework, however, defines, measures, and analyzes election-related content from within the media's coverage, particularly in emerging democracies. We apply machine learning techniques on texts from nearly 100,000 news articles during South Africa's 2014 election, and use a theoretically-informed classification of election coverage to demonstrate how the conceptual scope of elections shapes voters' campaign information environment. Our results produce distinct representations of political actors and institutions during elections: a narrow classification provides heuristics cuing race, party, and incumbent performance; a broad definition reflects policy and service concerns parties debated. Topic models and word vectors show that campaign content clusters with parties and their associations with government performance and policies, but candidates vary in how much distinct coverage they obtain on valence issues. We provide methods and evidence to replicably study electoral news coverage across developing countries.

“Killed Out of Love”: A Frame Analysis of Domestic Violence Coverage in Hong Kong

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (12) ◽  
pp. 1454-1473 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miriam Hernández
Keyword(s):  
Domestic Violence ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Social Problem ◽  
Political Power ◽  
Frame Analysis ◽  
News Coverage ◽  
Cultural Factor ◽  
Intimate Partners ◽  
The Social

A frame analysis was conducted on a Hong Kong newspaper to determine whether news coverage of female fatalities at the hands of their intimate partners was reported in conventional domestic violence ways or if there were culture-specific explanations. Overall, most coverage supported known views of domestic violence, justifying the perpetrator and categorizing the issue as isolated crime. However, a few stories highlighted the historical subordination of women under patriarchy in Confucianism as an important cultural factor. Findings have implications for the lack of generalization of the social problem, and the understanding of cultural and political power in Hong Kong society.

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