Lenka Hrbková

Slovak political debates: Functional theory in a multi-party system

This article examines a content analysis of the televised political debates prior to the 2012 elections in Slovakia. The analysis is based on the functional theory of campaign discourse by William L. Benoit. The goal of the work is to test the theory and its applicability in contexts other than the political system of the United States. In order to achieve this goal, we also make use of the findings of previous studies from the non-American environment. We have found that if Benoit’s methods were strictly observed, more than 30% of the content of debates would not be included in the analysis. Therefore, its original categories of content analysis should be expanded. The Slovak debates differ markedly from the American model, but at the same time differ from the kind of debates found in a consensual political system. The area of the greatest difference is the use of various models of discursive functions in the debates.

The Demand Side of Negativity and Privatization in News :Experimental Study of News Consumer Habits

Negativity in media and emphasis on personal side of politics are often cited as a common journalist practice which is harmful to democratic processes. Journalists and media houses are often held accountable for these phenomena because they prioritize profit over the quality of content. However, we offer an analysis focused on demand side of both negativity and privatization of political news. Using the Dynamic Process Tracing Environment (DPTE), we test the assumption that both of these features of political media coverage may be driven by audience demand for negative and personal news. According to the available literature, personal news can serve as a useful heuristics in citizens’ political judgment. We have confirmed a negativity bias; however, a tendency to select news about politicians’ private affairs was not confirmed. Even thought respondents preferred political news, personal news showed to be more memorable, which might have further implications for formation of political attitudes.

Předvolební průzkumy veřejného mínění a předpojatost tisku v České republice

Clanek se zabýva vlivem předvolebnich průzkumů na medialni pokryti jednotlivých politických akterů před volbami. S využitim teorie o sturkturalni předpojatosti medii a Zallerovy teorie medialni politiky se zabýva tim, jak novinaři reportuji o politických stranach a jejich reprezentantech v průběhu volebi kampaně.