Chances and Effects of Authenticity: Candidates of the German Federal Election in TV News

In: The Harvard international journal of press, politics, Volume 8, Issue 1, p. 49-65

Abstract

Is "sound bite democracy" only a U.S. phenomenon? And how do different forms of a candidate's appearance in television news affect his or her perception by the viewer? These are the major research questions we pursued using a large-scale content analysis of German television news coverage of the 1998 general election. The results show that German candidates still have a substantial opportunity on television news to speak to the people in their own words. The results also indicate that the degree of authenticity has a strong effect on the perception of the candidate by the television viewer. Pictures convey a better impression than just verbal news about the candidate, and original sound bites with pictures leave a better impression than pictures with just the voice-over. Results are discussed in light of the different media cultures in the United States and Germany and of the shifting balance of power between politicians and journalists.