Journalists’ Presumptions of Media Effects: A Framework of Their Dimensions, Determinants, and Consequences

• In Event: The Perceptions of Journalists and the Perceptions of Audiences

Abstract

Journalists’ image of their audience can have considerable influence on their coverage. Survey data on the sources of journalists’ audience image suggest that especially their presumptions of media effects on the audience should be coined by unsystematically gathered knowledge and subjective-intuitive judgments. At the same time, research shows that these presumptions must be considered important factors for the formation of journalistic coverage. However, the ways in which journalists’ presumptions of media effects evolve and take effect are diverse and have not been systematically examined. This article offers a first step in this direction by developing a framework of the interrelations between the different dimensions, determinants, and consequences of journalists’ presumptions of media effects.

Authors

• Philipp Mueller, U of Mainz

• Ralf Hohlfeld, U of Passau