Political Information Opportunities in Europe

A Longitudinal and Comparative Study of Thirteen Television Systems

Bibliographic Data

ID12977282
AuthorsFrank Esser (0000-0002-1627-1521, University of Zurich, corresponding author), Claes H De Vreese (0000-0002-4962-1698, Amsterdam University of the Arts), Jesper Strömbäck (0000-0001-7392-9791, Mid Sweden University), Peter Van Aelst (0000-0002-2548-0309, University of Antwerp), Toril Aalberg (0000-0001-5461-1470, NTNU Samfunnsforskning), James Stanyer (0000-0002-4477-0678, Loughborough University), Günther Lengauer (Universität Innsbruck), Rosa Berganza (0000-0002-6393-9707, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos), Guido Legnante (0000-0002-6411-052X, University of Pavia), Stylianos Papathanassopoulo (0000-0001-7946-6310, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens), Sherri Salgado (0000-0002-7967-3763, Universidade Nova de Lisboa), Tamir Sheafer (0000-0002-9242-2264, Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Carsten Reinemann (0000-0001-9715-8434, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München)
Year2012
Volume17
Issue3
Pages247-274
Publication date2012-05-29
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe International Journal of Press/Politics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1940-1612 • E-ISSN: 1040-1620
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/1940161212442956
OpenAlexW2170227646
LanguageEN
Citations received90
References cited40

This study examines the supply of political information programming across thirteen European broadcast systems over three decades. The cross-national and cross-temporal design traces the composition and development of political information environments with regard to the amount and placement of news and current affairs programs on the largest public and private television channels. It finds that the televisual information environments of Israel and Norway offer the most advantageous opportunity structure for informed citizenship because of their high levels of airtime and a diverse scheduling strategy. The study contributes to political communication research by establishing “political information environments” as a theoretically and empirically grounded concept that informs and supplements the comparison of “media systems.” If developed further, it could provide an information-rich, easy-to-measure macro-unit for future comparative research

Citizenship · Comparative research · Political communication · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Social science · Sociology · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Law · Media Studies and Communication · Social Media and Politics

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