Abstract
This article explores scapegoating in media coverage by analysing news reports on three former CEOs of large German corporations (Deutsche Börse, Deutsche Bank, and Deutsche Bahn) during crisis situations. Scapegoating is defined as a social mechanism including its linguistic construction as an archetypal narrative. The scapegoat role for each CEO was analysed by using content analysis of business news reports (n = 864) from eight print newspapers and one online paper. A new methodology was developed based on a combination of the Linguistic Category System proposed by Semin and Fiedler and the rhetorical approach of Narrative Theme Analysis formulated by Boje. In addition, eight semi-structured expert interviews were conducted with Hartmut Mehdorn (former CEO of Deutsche Bahn), two communication directors, and five business journalists. The results revealed differences in attribution of the so-called ‘sacrificial marks’ or ‘stigmata’ related to a CEO’s group affiliation and personality. A scapegoat index value S is presented as the measurand to capture the scapegoat role of a person in media texts. The limitations of the study are linked to the small number (three) of case studies and the new methodology that needs further testing.
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