Journalistic Reporting Styles in Elections: Comparing Election Campaign Coverage in TV News Across Countries Using QCA

• In Event: Comparative Political Communication

Abstract

‘Reporting style’ is an important concept for comparative communication research. This study aims to demonstrate how a cross-national analysis of election news coverage can serve as a meaningful example for characterizing different styles in political news reporting.

For this study, a content analysis of election news coverage in eight countries was conducted. Two television newscasts per country, usually one from a public broad-caster and one from a commercial station, were selected.

Analyses indicate that three interventionist reporting styles can be identified: a German style that shows some differences between the public and private broadcasters; a US-American style reminiscent of a prototypical interventionist style in a professionalized environment; and a Northern-European style indicating a more consensual culture. These findings show that while national contexts still matter the most in explaining different re-porting patterns, there is also evidence for the emergence of a transnational news culture.

Author

• Florin Buechel, U of Zurich