The personalization of politics in comparative perspective: Campaign coverage in Germany and the United Kingdom.
Holtz-Bacha C, Langer AI, Merkle S (2014)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2014
Journal
Publisher: SAGE Publications (UK and US)
Book Volume: 29
Pages Range: 153-170
Abstract
In the last few decades personalization has been identified as a defining trend of contemporary political communication. The empirical evidence, however, is mixed and there are very few studies that explore more than a single-case study. This article investigates media personalization in comparative perspective by analysing the press coverage of recent general elections in Germany (2009) and the United Kingdom (2010). Was the reporting in both campaigns (equally) personalized? How and to what extent does the phenomenon vary across the two countries? What does this mean for our understanding of personalization? The analysis shows that there are at least as many differences between the countries as there are similarities; although both campaigns can be considered personalized in some respects, the form it takes is substantially different due to structural variations in the media and political systems, as well as the more transient, but key, impact of the distinctive characteristics of the campaigns and each of the candidates. © The Author(s) 2014.
Authors with CRIS profile
Involved external institutions
United Kingdom (GB)How to cite
APA:
Holtz-Bacha, C., Langer, A.I., & Merkle, S. (2014). The personalization of politics in comparative perspective: Campaign coverage in Germany and the United Kingdom. European Journal of Communication, 29, 153-170. https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0267323113516727
MLA:
Holtz-Bacha, Christina, A. I. Langer, and Susanne Merkle. "The personalization of politics in comparative perspective: Campaign coverage in Germany and the United Kingdom." European Journal of Communication 29 (2014): 153-170.
BibTeX: Download