Quality comparison of political coverage in Germany, Austria and Switzerland

Subproject 3 is the centerpiece of the content analysis of media quality. The theoretical conception of democracy encompasses the current shift in our understanding of democracy and expands the liberal-representative model realized in most Western democracies to include participatory approaches. This results in three central quality standards – relevance, diversity and deliberation – as well as three key functions of media – legitimation, forum and integration.

To evaluate relevance, the topics and players in particular are identified and compared with the input of the political system (WP 2). Value frames showing the extent to which the diversity of positions among parties and various social groups is represented in news coverage are used to measure diversity. Professional standards of journalism like neutrality, objectivity and civility are used to evaluate the standard of deliberation. The category system is partially based on tested and proven measurements of diversity to enable previous studies to be compared. The Jahrbuch Qualität der Medien (Yearbook Media Quality) that the fög has been publishing for many years in Switzerland serves as a model.

A large sample of media outlets (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.