Work

Interplay between media-related perceptions and perceptions of hostility in international conflicts: Results from a study of German and Greek citizens

Year: 2020

Type: article

Abstract: During the European debt crisis, German and Greek media frequently reported on the political conflict between the two countries. This article examines to what extent the media coverage in one country about the other is considered by German and Greek citizens to be hostile (‘hostile media perception’) and influential (‘influence of presumed influence’). Data from a comparative survey in Germany ( n = 492) and Greece ( n = 484) show that news coverage by foreign media on the European debt crisis is perceived by respondents as hostile against their own country and as influential. Moreover, both media-related perceptions are linked with intensified perceptions of hostility, such as assumptions that an individual’s country is not respected in the other country or that the other country’s citizens are demanding that the individual’s country be punished. Based on these results, it is discussed whether media-related perceptions can have a conflict-intensifying effect in international crises.

Source: International Communication Gazette

DOI: 10.1177/1748048520970062

Authors: Marco Dohle, Ole Kelm, Uli Bernhard, Björn Klein

Institutions: Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Hochschule Hannover

Language: English

Topic: Media Studies and Communication

Subfield: Communication

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: green

Funder: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft