The “Media Performance and Democracy” DACH project comprises four closely related subprojects, or work packages (WP).
A broad quantitative content analysis (in terms of sample size) of political reporting in the three countries forms the basis of the project (WP3). While WP3 looks at national political coverage on the whole, and thus enables inferences on the quality of political news coverage to be made, WP4 focuses on a central case example, namely migration. Comparable indicators have been applied in this study, though with considerably greater detail. Thus the overall project benefits from this additional depth. WP2 looks at political documents (such as press releases and speeches in parliament). The findings serve as external benchmark for the quality evaluation conducted in WP3. WP1 combines indicators of structural influences at various levels and media use data for the three countries with the results of the quantitative analyses in WP3. These findings can be used to explain differences between the three countries and evaluate the quality of consumed content for certain population groups.
The following pages contain detailed descriptions of the individual subprojects.
WP 1 - International comparison: structural contexts and audiences
This work package focuses on two central questions: How do structural factors influence the quality of the respective coverage? Which population groups rely on higher- or lower-quality media for their media use? To answer these questions, indicators for structural contexts and media consumption have been gathered for the three countries and compared with the media quality examined in the other work packages. more
WP 2 - Diversity in political agendas as an extra-media standard of comparison
Subproject 2 examines the diversity in political agendas in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, which serve as an external benchmark of comparison. more
WP 3 - Quality comparison of political coverage in Germany, Austria and Switzerland
Subproject 3 is the centerpiece of the media quality content analysis. A large sample (including quality newspapers, tabloids, public service and commercial television, radio and websites) is used in all three countries. The analysis focuses on political news in a national context. more
WP 4 - Comparative analysis of coverage of migration as a controversial issue
Subproject 4 takes an in-depth look at the quality of media coverage of controversial issues. This study looks specifically at coverage of migration, which is a major topic of political debate in all three countries. more