Studies in Communication Sciences

Editorial

Katharina Lobinger — 2019-12-03

Dear SComS readers, We are happy to present you the first issue of 2019. As has happened quite regularly since the migration of SComS to the HOPE platform, also this issue features, beyond the general section, a thematic section. This time, our thematic section is devoted to crises seen from a perspective of political communication. We are happy and proud that many authors and contributors are willing to publish thematic sections with SComS, which propose cutting-edge research and open fresh perspectives on communication studies. You might consult our open calls for thematic sections on the journal webpage, www.scoms.ch.

Evolution of a field: Swiss media and communication studies

Carole Probst — 2019-12-03

In this paper, we present the evolution of Swiss Media and Communication Studies over the last decade by summarizing the main results from a project funded by the Swiss University Conference (2008–2017). We give an overall picture of the growth in the field (in terms of student numbers, resources and activities), look at diversity in terms of topics (two clusters are identified and presented with respect to various indicators), present changes at the level of individual research units (where we find variance in terms of evolution), give insights into publication patterns (two different publication cultures are found) and describe mobility and career pathways in the field. We observe limited mobility within Switzerland, internal pathways at the level of doctoral students and post-docs, and international mobility, mainly within the same linguistic region, at the professorial level. We conclude that the field has reached a consolidation phase and achieved a rather stable situation, but faces new challenges, with digitalization and the pressure towards homogenization in publication output among the most important.

Nested presuppositions: A manipulative type of informative presupposition

Mohyi Eldeen Maziad — 2019-12-03

This paper introduces the new pragmatic concept of Nested Presuppositions (NestPs) and develops a relevance- theoretic account that explains its cognitive dynamics and manipulative mechanisms. The first section lays necessary theoretical foundations, by defining pragmatic presupposition, compiling a taxonomy of the types of presupposition and their triggers, identifying and critiquing research gaps in eight of the most relevant studies and drawing the conclusion that none of the existing definitions or accounts of pragmatic presupposition can adequately capture the manipulative characteristics and mechanisms of the instances of informative presupposition at issue. In section two, I shall introduce the concept of NestPs as the filler of those gaps, grounding it in Textual Rhetoric and Relevance Theory and highlighting its defining characteristic of information structures, i.e. how the message is segmented and its degrees of prominence and suppression are assigned in order to achieve strategic goals. I further problematize the relationship between NestPs, on the one hand, and informativeness and manipulation, on the other, in light of Gricean and Relevance-Theoretic linguistics, establishing that NestPs are inherently manipulative. I finally expound the manipulative dynamics of NestPs, in terms of the information processing mechanisms they employ, by capitalizing on the concepts of Ostensive Stimulus, Cognitive Principle of Relevance, Principle of Optimal Relevance and Comprehension Procedure, and suggesting the two new mechanisms of Cognitive Underpassing and Structure-Content Cognitive Conflict.

Communicating nationalism in a changing Europe: The media coverage of Catalan’s attempt at independence

Marcos Martínez-Solanilla — 2019-12-03

Since 2008, Europe is immersed in a situation of political and social upheaval marked by, among other processes – such as the Brexit, the Scottish referendum on independence or the growth of new populist parties – , the strengthening of nationalism in Catalonia. In this context, the role of the media is crucial, since they are the main transmitters of what occurs abroad and, depending on how they present the information, a spread of pro-independence trends in regions with a historically strong nationalist sentiment throughout the continent can be more or less likely. In order to know the differences regarding the coverage of nationalism, this study applies a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to the text present in the main article on the Catalan referendum of October 1st, 2017 published online by the most-read newspapers in Portugal, Switzerland, UK, Italy, Scotland and Northeast Italy. The analysis concludes that the media not only report differently depending on the characteristics of the territory where they operate, but also that some of them use the information as a tool to indoctrinate society.

Political communication in and about crises – Introduction to the Thematic Section

Julia Metag — 2019-12-03

The financial crisis in Europe and the United States, the war in Syria, the refugee crisis, and terrorist attacks – crises seem to permeate everyday life and make headlines. Crisis as a central, persistent element of modern life has been the subject of scholarly discussions in various disciplines. Political communication research approaches crisis from two different angles. First, political crisis communication research deals with communication about political crises, such as political upheavals, protests, and subversions of governments and presidents. One of the most recent examples of a political crisis comes from Venezuela, where political changes and problems, such as corruption and undemocratic governance, have brought about economic problems (hyperinflation), a rising crime rate, hunger, and disease. Second, many other types of crises involve political communication because they also lead to policy reactions or at least discussion on their political aspects. For example, natural disasters typically provoke public discussion on the roles of political organizations and actors before, during, and after these disasters and the consequences for policy.

How populist crisis rhetoric affects voters in Switzerland

Dominique Stefanie Wirz — 2019-12-03

Right-wing populism has a long tradition in Switzerland. Nevertheless, only little is known about how populist messages in the media contribute to the success of the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) and to the acceptance of the party’s anti-immigration policies. In this study, we combine data from a large media content analysis (including newspapers and TV news shows) with data from a panel-survey in order to address this research gap. Thereby we differentiate between effects driven by the content and the form of right-wing populist communication. While right-wing populist content depicts immigrants and the political elite as a threat to the Swiss people, populist style evokes the sense of a crisis by emotionalizing and dramatizing the message. Populist style is therefore assumed to increase the persuasiveness of populist claims. The results of this study suggest that this is the case only for some voters, while it backfires for others.

Satirizing international crises. The depiction of the Ukraine, Greek debt, and migration crises in political satire

Cordula Nitsch — 2019-12-03

In international crises, the media’s information and orientation function is particularly important in the public sphere. While the news media’s crisis coverage has been well researched and often criticized, very little is known about the depiction of crises in political satire. This study examines how German satirical shows (n = 154 episodes, 2014–2016) covered the Ukraine, Greek debt, and migration crises and whether or not these depictions corresponded to news media logic. In its attention to the crises, satire follows news media’s conflict orientation. Parallels with news media logic also relate to the information function because the predominant frame elements in satirical shows mirror governmental positions. This is different regarding the orientation function. In their evaluation of the frame elements, satirical shows’ criticism of governmental positions and their support for minority positions create a counter-narrative for the crises. Thus, satirical shows provide added value for public discourse.

In der Krise vereint? Milieuspezifische Perspektiven auf die Flüchtlingskrise

Raphael Kösters — 2019-12-03

Kommunikationswissenschaftliche Forschung zur Fragmentierung konzentriert sich auf die Identifikation gesellschaftsweit geteilter Themen. Im vorliegenden Beitrag wird mit der sogenannten Flüchtlingskrise bewusst ein Thema als empirischer Fall gewählt, das als Krise bevölkerungsübergreifend als relevant wahrgenommen wird. Zur Klärung der Frage, ob die Auseinandersetzung über ein gemeinsames Thema zur Integration beiträgt, werden gruppenspezifische Deutungen der Flüchtlingskrise in differenten politisch- kommunikativen Milieus untersucht. Auf der Basis einer im Mai 2016 durchgeführten repräsentativen Online-Befragung (n = 1488) wurden mittels einer Clusteranalyse zwölf Milieus identifiziert, die sich hinsichtlich ihrer politischen Wertorientierungen sowie ihrer Nähe bzw. Distanz zur Politik unterscheiden. Die Themendeutungen, die über offene Assoziationstests erhoben wurden, lassen sich anhand einer Hauptkomponentenanalyse zu milieuspezifischen Perspektiven verdichten. Befunde zu Milieus mit extremen Grundhaltungen sprechen – trotz des geteilten Themas – gegen eine integrative Wirkung der Auseinandersetzung. Für gemässigte Milieus, die zwar ebenfalls spezifische Deutungen aufweisen, in denen aber auch Perspektiven anderer Bevölkerungsgruppen präsent sind, lässt sich ein integratives Potenzial erkennen.

Political communication in and about crises. Potentials of a fragmented field

Linards Udris — 2019-12-03

While there is growing interest in political crises in political communication research, crisis has not yet become a meaningful concept. Also, research tends to be reactive, which is suggested by an analysis of when and how the “crisis” label occurred in Swiss media from 2000 to 2018 and how recent scholarship examines political crises. This commentary gives an overview of different research areas within this fragmented “crisis” field and discusses a nuanced concept of crises that is more sensitive to the causes and dynamics of communicatively constructed crises on the macro level. It argues that a more systematic, more comparative and more macro-oriented research on political crises will help reduce the reactive nature of the field and enhance its public relevance.