Targets of jokes (Satirical Shows)

With the variable “targets of jokes” it is analyzed which actors are evaluated in satirical shows (either by criticism or as a target of a joke). Targets of jokes can be celebrities and societal actors, however, the greatest attention is given to political actors. Political actors can either be collective actors such as parties and other political organizations or individual politicians. Due to cultural specifics in the U.S., the coding of political actors as targets of jokes is often expanded to the family and staff of presidential candidates and other high-ranking politicians in American studies (Lichter, et al., 2015). Field of application/theoretical foundation: The variable is used to analyze balance in jokes (e.g., distribution of jokes on political actors) and is an indicator for political plurality. References/combination with other methods of data collection: The variable is used in content analysis that have been combined with experimental studies that analyze priming effects (Matthes & Rauchfleisch, 2013) Example study: Nitsch & Lichtenstein (2013) Information on Nitsch & Lichtenstein, 2013 Authors: Cordula Nitsch, Dennis Lichtenstein Research question/ research interest: Depiction of politics (topics and actors) in satirical shows vs. news shows Object of analysis: Satirical Show (Harald Schmidt Show), news show (Tagesschau) Timeframe of analysis: 2009-2010 Information about variable Variable name/definition: Akteure [actors] Gewertet werden nur politisch relevante Akteure, die in der Sendung angesprochen werden oder selbst sprechen. Ein Akteur gilt als politischer Akteur, wenn es sich dabei entweder um eine politische Institution (z.B. EU, Nato, UNO, Parlament) oder um einen demokratisch legitimierten Individualakteur (z.B Bundespräsident, Politiker unterschiedlicher Parteien) handelt Pro Thema wird jeder Akteur nur einmal codiert. Enthält ein Thema keinen Akteur, so wird die Variable nicht ausgefüllt [Only politically relevant actors who are addressed in the satirical shows or who speak on their own behalf are considered. An actor is considered a political actor if it is either a political institution (e.g. EU, NATO, UN, parliament) or a democratically legitimated individual actor (e.g. Federal President, politicians from different parties). If a topic contains no actor, the variable is not coded.] Level of analysis: Beitragsebene Scale level: Nominal Reliability: Identifikation der Akteure: .82, Akteursvariablen: .81 D national D regional EU Ausland Bereich 1xxx 2xxx 3xxx 4xxx 100 Politiker Land/EU als Ganzes z.B. „die USA haben entschieden“, „Griechenland ist pleite“, „die EU sagt…“ 110 Präsident z.B. Bundespräsident 111 Regierungschef z.B. Bundeskanzler 112 Regierung Als Gesamtheit oder einzelne Minister auf nationaler Ebene; für EU: Kommission und Rat 113 Die Opposition Nur als Gesamtheit, auf nationaler Ebene 114 Parlament 115 Partei z.B. „die SPD hat sich mit der CDU darauf geeinigt…“ 116 Spitzenfunktionär in Partei z.B. Parteichef, Generalsekretär 117 Sonstiges Parteimitglied/Parlamentarier 118 Ehemaliger Politiker 119 Ehemalige Regierung 199 Politischer Akteur, nicht näher zuzuordnen Weitere Akteure: 5101 Nato 5102 UNI 5103 G8-Staaten 5999 Anderer internationaler politischer Akteur References Nitsch, C. & Lichtenstein, D. (2013). Politik mal anders: Die Politikdarstellung in „Harald Schmidt“ im Kontrast zur „Tagesschau“ [A different serving of politics: the depiction of

Evaluation of political actors (Satirical Shows)

The variable “evaluation of political actors” examines which criteria are addressed in satirical shows to evaluate political actors. Evaluations can be based on role-specific criteria of political actors or on jokes that are related to politically irrelevant aspects such as personal traits, self-deprecation, and stereotypes (Emde & Scherer, 2016; Lichtenstein & Nitsch, 2018). The variable is an indicator for a show’s humor conventions as well as for the way the show deals with political content. The unit of analysis is the joke, which targets a political actor. Field of application/theoretical foundation: This variable is used to analyze the extent of substantial political information in satirical shows. It is also used to compare different types of satirical shows (e.g., Late Night Comedy news satire) or to assess the depiction of different political actors and whether or not they are embedded into different types of jokes. References/combination with other methods of data collection – Example study: Lichtenstein & Nitsch (2018) Information on Lichtenstein & Nitsch, 2018 Authors: Dennis Lichtenstein, Cordula Nitsch Research question/research interest: Depiction of politics in satirical shows Object of analysis: Three popular German satirical TV-shows (Die Anstalt, heute show, Neo Magazin Royale) Timeframe of analysis: 2014-2016 Information about variable Variable name/definition: Criticism V29 KRITIK Kritik am Akteur Hier wird codiert, auf welche Weise der Akteur in dem angesprochenen Themenkontext bewertet wird. Es wird festgehalten, ob die Bewertung positiv oder negativ ausfällt und ob sie sich auf Sachaspekte oder Persönlichkeitsmerkmale bezieht. It is coded, in which way the actor is evaluated in the addressed topic context. It is coded whether the evaluation is positive or negative and whether it refers to role specific criteria or personality traits. Nur Personen-aspekte V.a. Personen-aspekte Gleichermaßen Sach- und Personen-aspekte V.a. Sachaspekte Nur Sachaspekte Weder Sach- noch Personen-aspekte 1x 2x 3x 4x 5x 9x Nur positive Bewertung x1 V.a. positive Bewertung x2 Ambivalent x3 V.a. negativ Bewertung x4 Nur negative Bewertung x5 Keine Bewertung x0 References Lichtenstein, D. & Nitsch, C. (2018). Informativ und kritisch? Die Politikdarstellung in deutschen Satiresendungen. [Informative and critical? The presentation of politics in German satirical programmes.] Medien und Kommunikationswissenschaft, 66(1), 5-21.

Degree of realism (Fiction)

The variable tries to capture the degree of realism of the fictional entertainment format. It was used in a systematization of TV series and movies that aimed to structure the field with regard to politics in fictional entertainment (Eilders & Nitsch, 2014, 2015; Nitsch & Eilders, 2014). Field of application/theoretical foundation The perceived degree of realism is usually considered in effect studies (as a moderating variable). However, it can also be applied to the fictional content and helps differentiating the innumerable fictional productions. It might be assumed that fictional entertainment formats with many references to social reality elicit other effects than TV series and movies that do not include aspects that are familiar to the audience from real-life. References/combination with other methods of data collection --- Example study Eilders & Nitsch (2015) Information on Eilders & Nitsch, 2015 Authors: Christiane Eilders & Cordula Nitsch Research interest: depiction of politics (centrality of politics, topics, actors, political actions) in political dramas of two different countries (US and Germany) Object of analysis: 114 movies and 98 TV-series Timeframe of analysis: 1990-2013 Information about variable Variable name/definition: degree of realism Degree of realism is indicated through four variables: 1) realism in terms of events, 2) in terms of characters, 3) in terms of time, and 4) in terms of places. Every indicator was coded on a scale ranging from 0 (no realism at all) to 3 (high degree of realism). Realism in terms of events regards the degree to which the plot refers to real-life events (e.g., historical references, bank holidays). Realism of characters captures whether real actors or institutions are addressed in the plot. It was coded whether real characters played no role (0), a marginal role (1), a minor role (2), or a major role (3) in the TV series or movie. Realism in terms of time measures the time between the year of production and the year in which the fictional plot takes place. 0 was coded for plots located in periods deviating by more than 50 years from the production year, plots located in periods not overtly deviating from the production year were coded 3. Realism of places captures whether places are clearly identifiable. The highest score refers to plots that take place at particular locations on Earth, plots that take place in completely fictitious locations (such as Middle Earth in The Lord of the Rings) received the lowest score. Level of analysis: Film- bzw. Serienebene [level of movies/series] Scale level: Nominal Reliability: .87 (realism in terms of time: 1.0, realism in terms of places: 0.9, realism in terms of events: 0.86 and realism in terms of characters: 0.71) V 1 Degree of Realism V1.3 Realitätsnähe der Zeit (RZ) (Bezugspunkt: Plot) [Realism in terms of time (RT) [Reference point: plot]] Unter RZ wird codiert, wie weit das Produktionsjahr des Films/der Serie von der Zeit abweicht, die im Film/der Serie dargestellt wird. Es wird angenommen, dass Filme/Serien, die in der Vergangenheit oder Zukunft spielen, eine geringere Realitätsnähe haben. Filme/Serien, die in anderen Welten mit eigenen Zeitlinien spielen, sind ebenfalls nicht realitätsnah. Bei Filmen/Serien, die über längere Zeiträume hinweg spielen, wird das Jahr, in dem der größte Teil der Handlung spielt, herangezogen. Sollte dies nicht erkennbar sein, ist das früheste Jahr, das vorkommt, das Referenzjahr. [For RT it is coded how far the production year of the movie/series deviates from the time the movie/series is set in. It is assumed that movies/series which are set in the past or future are less close to (the viewers’) reality. Movies/series that play in other worlds with their own timelines are also considered to have a low degree of realism. For movies/series that cover longer periods of time, the year in which most of the plot takes place is used. Should this not be recognizable, the earliest year the plot is set in, is used as the reference year.] 0 = Keine Realitätsnähe Der Film/Serie spielt entweder in einem Jahr, das mehr als 50 Jahre (plus/minus) vom Produktionsjahr des Films/Serie abweicht oder in einer Welt mit anderer Zeitrechnung. Beispiel: „Braveheart“ als Film, der im Mittelalter spielt und somit mehr als 50 Jahre vom Produktionsjahr 1995 abweicht. 1 = Geringe Realitätsnähe Der Film/Serie spielt in einem Jahr, das zwischen 50 und 11 Jahren (plus/minus) vom Produktionsjahr des Films/Serie abweicht. Beispiel: „Das Leben der Anderen“ als Film, der 1984 spielt und somit 22 Jahre vom Produktionsjahr 2006 abweicht. 2 = Mittlere Realitätsnähe Der Film/Serie spielt in einem Jahr, das vom Produktionsjahr maximal 10 Jahre (plus/minus) abweicht. Beispiel: „Hotel Ruanda“ als Film, der 2004 gedreht wurde und im Jahr 1994 spielt. 3 = Hohe Realitätsnähe Der Film/Serie spielt in einem Jahr, das vom Produktionsjahr durch keine sichtbare Verweise auf eine andere Zeit abweicht. Beispiel: „Keinohrhasen“ als Film, in dem es keine erkennbare Abweichung von Produktionsjahr und der dargestellten Zeit gibt. References Eilders, C., & Nitsch, C. (2014). Politikvermittlung zwischen „Traumschiff“ und „The West Wing“: Ein Vorschlag zur Systematisierung von Fernsehserien [Political depictions between „Traumschiff“ and „The West Wing“: A proposal for a systematization of TV series]. In M. Dohle & G. Vowe (Hrsg.), Politische Unterhaltung – Unterhaltende Politik. Forschung zu Medieninhalten, Medienrezeption und Medienwirkungen (S. 138–162). Köln: Herbert von Halem. Eilders, C., & Nitsch, C. (2015). Politics in Fictional Entertainment: An Empirical Classification of Movies and TV Series. International Journal of Communication, 9, 1563–1587. Nitsch, C. & Eilders, C. (2014). Die Repräsentation von Politik in fiktionaler Unterhaltung. Instrument, Anwendung und Befunde zur Systematisierung von Filmen und Fernsehserien [The representation of politics in fictional entertainment. Instrument, application and results for a systematization of films and TV series]. Studies in Communication | Media, 3(1), S. 120–143.

The democratic quality of political depictions in fictional TV entertainment. A comparative content analysis of the political drama Borgen and the journalistic magazine Berlin direkt

The quality of political reporting in the news media is a focal point of communication research. Politics, however, is not only conveyed via traditional sources of information, but via fictional sources. In particular, political dramas (e. g., The West Wing, Borgen) enjoy great popularity and are often acknowledged for their realistic depiction of politics. Still, little is known about the democratic quality of such fictional depictions. This paper aims to fill the gap by contrasting the depiction of politics in the fictional TV series Borgen with political reporting in a traditional TV magazine (Berlin direkt). The comparative content analysis is based on ten issues that are covered in both formats and focuses on the quality criteria of relevance, pluralism, and democratic discourse norms. Findings show no significant differences between Borgen and Berlin direkt for any of the three criteria, clearly indicating that fictional TV series can offer the same content quality as political reporting.

Reflection of Ideology and Politics in Travel Writing

The chapter focuses on the ways in which politics and ideology are incorporated into travel writing. The analysis of two travel books involving the U.S. American and the Soviet Russian cultures, namely Little Golden America (One-Storied America, 1937) by Soviet humorists Ilf and Petrov, and A Russian Journal (1948) by American novelist John Steinbeck, reveals the two factors of importance influencing the depiction of politics and ideology in travel writing, namely the authors' identity including their personal ideologies and the polarity of bilateral political and ideological relations between the nations concerned. These two factors predetermine the specific issues of political and ideological nature described and explained in travel writing and the angle and character of their interpretation and evaluation by the authors.