Can a Single Incident Create an Issue? Exemplars in German Television Magazine Shows

In: Journalism & mass communication quarterly: JMCQ, Band 76, Heft 1, S. 35-51

Abstract

Recent experiments have shown that examples presented in media coverage exercise a strong influence on recipient judgments. We investigated the question of just how these examples, or exemplars, are utilized in journalistic accounts by studying certain magazine shows on German television. Results demonstrate a ubiquitous use of exemplars confirming the angle from which a story has been presented. Exemplars are often presented along with vague generalizations, which leave the viewer little chance of judging the scope or importance of an issue. This leads to the question: Rather than illustrating an issue, do exemplars create it in the first place?