Quality of Political Communication and Political Journalism

This research area examines how factors such as misinformation and polarization affect public engagement with news and political discourse. This field also studies how incivility and emotive content influence the news, as well as perceptions of credibility and democratic participation. Researchers and projects in this area currently work to understand and address challenges to media integrity and public trust in political journalism, such as emotionality and news avoidance. 

Researchers affiliated with this  area:

Dominika Betakova, Melanie Haberl, Dominik Hokamp, George Georgarakis, Sophie Lecheler, Anna Maria Planitzer, Andrea Stockinger, Claudia Wilhelm

Recent publications:

 

  • Schäfer, S., Betakova, D., & Lecheler, S. (2024). Zooming in on Topics: An Investigation of the Prevalence and Motives for Selective News Avoidance. Journalism Studies, 25(12), 1423–1440. doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2024.2338114
  • Betakova, D., Boomgaarden, H., Lecheler, S., & Schäfer, S. (2024). I Do Not (Want To) Know! The Relationship Between Intentional News Avoidance and Low News Consumption. Mass Communication and Society, 1–28. doi.org/10.1080/15205436.2024.2304759
  • Schäfer, S., Betakova, D., Aaldering, L., & Lecheler, S. (2022). Opting out of News. Medienjournal-Zeitschrift für Medien-und Kommunkiationsforschung, 45(3), 31.
  • ​‌‌‍‍​‍Stockinger, A., Schäfer, S. & Lecheler, S. (2023). Navigating the gray areas of content moderation: Professional moderators’ perspectives on uncivil user comments and the role of (AI-based) technological tools. New Media & Society. doi.org/10.1177/14614448231190901
  • Masullo, G. M., Wilhelm, C., Lee, T., Gonçalves, J., Riedl, M. J., & Stroud, N. J. (2024). Signaling news outlet trust in a Google Knowledge Panel: A conjoint experiment in Brazil, Germany, and the United States. New Media & Society, 26(9), 5379-5402. doi.org/10.1177/14614448221135860
  • Uth B., Stehle H., Wilhelm C., Detel H., Podschuweit N. (2024). Die Journalismus-Publikum-Beziehung als Herausforderung für den politischen Journalismus. In  C. Nuernbergk, N. F. Schumacher, J. Haßler, & J.  Schützeneder  (Hrsg.), Politischer Journalismus. Konstellationen – Muster – Dynamiken (S. 147–162). Baden-Baden: Nomos. doi.org/10.5771/9783748939702-147

 

Projects:

Emotions in political journalism