Media Representation: Politics

Abstract

Abstract Representations of politics in mass media are a central source of citizens' experiences with and perceptions of politics. This entry discusses key aspects that have evolved in the literature on mediated representations of politics and their possible influences on the public. Focusing specifically on mass media coverage of political actors, it considers attributes such as news bias, personalization, or negativity. Subsequently important generic frame categories are discussed, such as strategy or conflict framing of political processes. Finally the entry turns to the phenomenon of entertainization of politics in the media. It concludes with a discussion of the importance of standardizing content‐analytical measurement and considers the possible consequences of media fragmentation for studies of mediated representations of politics.