Evaluation of political actors (Satirical Shows)

Abstract

The variable “evaluation of political actors” examines which criteria are addressed in satirical shows to evaluate political actors. Evaluations can be based on role-specific criteria of political actors or on jokes that are related to politically irrelevant aspects such as personal traits, self-deprecation, and stereotypes (Emde & Scherer, 2016; Lichtenstein & Nitsch, 2018). The variable is an indicator for a show’s humor conventions as well as for the way the show deals with political content. The unit of analysis is the joke, which targets a political actor.

Field of application/theoretical foundation:

This variable is used to analyze the extent of substantial political information in satirical shows. It is also used to compare different types of satirical shows (e.g., Late Night Comedy, news satire) or to assess the depiction of different political actors and whether or not they are embedded into different types of jokes.

References/combination with other methods of data collection

–

Example study:

Lichtenstein & Nitsch (2018)

Information on Lichtenstein & Nitsch, 2018

Authors: Dennis Lichtenstein, Cordula Nitsch 

Research question/research interest: Depiction of politics in satirical shows

Object of analysis: Three popular German satirical TV-shows (Die Anstalt, heute show, Neo Magazin Royale)

Timeframe of analysis: 2014-2016

Information about variable

Variable name/definition: Criticism

V29     KRITIK

Kritik am Akteur

Hier wird codiert, auf welche Weise der Akteur in dem angesprochenen Themenkontext bewertet wird. Es wird festgehalten, ob die Bewertung positiv oder negativ ausfällt und ob sie sich auf Sachaspekte oder Persönlichkeitsmerkmale bezieht.

It is coded, in which way the actor is evaluated in the addressed topic context. It is coded whether the evaluation is positive or negative and whether it refers to role specific criteria or personality traits.

		Nur Personen-aspekte	V.a. Personen-aspekte	Gleichermaßen Sach- und Personen-aspekte	V.a. Sachaspekte	Nur Sachaspekte	Weder Sach- noch  Personen-aspekte
		1x	2x	3x	4x	5x	9x
Nur positive Bewertung	x1
V.a. positive Bewertung	x2
Ambivalent	x3
V.a. negativ Bewertung	x4
Nur negative Bewertung	x5
Keine Bewertung	x0

References

Lichtenstein, D. & Nitsch, C. (2018). Informativ und kritisch? Die Politikdarstellung in deutschen Satiresendungen. [Informative and critical? The presentation of politics in German satirical programmes.] Medien und Kommunikationswissenschaft, 66(1), 5-21.