Wodurch werden Wahrnehmungen von politischem Medieneinfluss erklärt?

Abstract

This study focuses on explanatory factors for politicians’ and journalists’ perceptions of two dimensions of media influence on the political process: their influence on the political agenda and on careers of political leaders. Statistical analysis was done using regression analysis and takes three predictors into account: attitudes toward journalists’ affinity to voice political views in their reporting, the actors’ proneness to having frequent informal contacts with members of the other profession, and national contexts. In addition, an analysis was made to determine whether the impact of attitudes toward politically driven journalism on perceptions of political media influence is moderated by national context. The results are based on a survey of senior political correspondents, reporters and editors of the most important national news media outlets and political elites on the national level from Denmark, Germany, Spain and France (total N = 925). The analyses showed that cross-cultural differences as regards perceptions of political media influence existed, in particular between France and Germany. Attitudes of political elites toward journalists’ professional objectives were a significant predictor for their perceptions of media influence. Moreover, hierarchical regression models demonstrated that the relationship between attitudes toward politically driven journalism and perceptions of media influencing politicians’ careers was moderated by national context.