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POL12
Politics, theMedia and Trust
PP 433
Understanding Hostility and Distrust Towards the Media. The Effects of Populist, Left- and Right-Wing Attitudes on Extreme Subjective
Media Theories and Its Consequences
L. Posthumus
1
, J. Keppeler
1
, C. Fortkord
1
, N. Fawzi
1
, M. Obermaier
1
, C. Reinemann
1
1
LMU Munich, Department of Communication Science and Media Research, Munich, Germany
Recently, the media have been facing hostility in the context of (right-wing) populist movements in Europe. In Germany, this is exemplified by both the con‑
tinuously repeated slo-gan“liar press”and by verbal and even physical aggression towards journalists. Hostility and distrust towards the media seem to be
essentially attributed to strong political attitudes in gen-eral (e.g., due to hostile media perceptions and media selectivity; Stroud, 2008; Tsfati & Co-hen,
2005) as well as to populist, left- or right-wing ideologies in specific; presumably due to the refusal of elites and pluralism (Jagers &Walgrave, 2007; Mudde,
2004). However, it re-mains unclear 1) which media beliefs (subjective media theories; Naab, 2013) exactly form the basis of hostility towards the media,
2) to which extent they are related to political atti-tudes, and 3) what their consequences are. Therefore, this study examines extreme subjective media
theories and analyzes their connections with populist, left-wing and right-wing attitudes, the perceived interest represen-tation through media, and (alter‑
native) media use. Furthermore, it inquires consequences on emotions, trust in media, political participation, and media activity. The study was conducted
in Germany as its recent social and political developments provide an illustrative example of a rising populist ideology connected to strong hostility towards
the media. To answer the re-search questions, a two-method design was chosen. In a pre-study, a qualitative content analy-sis of 134 user comments on
diverse social media websites and political blogs was conducted to explore ideas of subjective media theories. On this basis, a quantitative online survey (n
= 1102) was conducted in winter 2015 to investigate the media theories of people with populist, left- or right-wing attitudes and the mentioned conse‑
quences. Results show that hostility towards the media is formed by multiple beliefs: it is based on the notion of corruption and consolidation in the media
that are controlled by the govern-ment, intentionally lying and failing to represent the interests of the public. Populist attitudes were found to be the most
important predictor of hostility toward the media, explaining 62% in variance. Controlling for populism, extreme left-wing and right-wing attitudes merely
had small explanatory power. Additionally, the effects of populist attitudes were found to be par-tially mediated by less perceived interest representation
through the media and by the use of alternative media. Lastly, findings suggest that people resenting the media are not only un-happy, disappointed and
angry, but also feel threatened by the media coverage as well as a deep distrust. Further outcomes of hostility seem to be increased political activity (i.e.
partici-pating in demonstrations), medial activity (i.e. commenting on posts and articles, warning others about untrustworthy coverage), and boycott
of certain media products. Results demonstrate that populist attitudes resulting in hostility towards the media can have alarming consequences. People
resenting the media disclaim the provided information and seek their own reality in alternative media sources. If a critical mass distrusts and resents
the media, this may lead to the lack of a common basis for societal discourse and foster the emergence of parallel societies.
PP 434
The Media as Populists? A Quantitative Survey on the Perception of the Bild-Zeitung as Populist Actor, Political Actor
and Representative and Its Effect on Trust in Institutions
L. Hörgstetter
1
, K. Schamberger
1
, B. Böres
1
, N. Bula
1
, N. Fawzi
1
, M. Obermaier
1
, C. Reinemann
1
1
Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Department of Communication Studies and Media Research, München, Germany
Throughout Europe, populist parties have gained power in previous years, whereas in Germany they have been lacking success (Bornschier, 2012). One
explanation is the existence of the widest-reach tabloid newspaper in Germany: the Bild-Zeitung. Since it sometimes displays both an anti-establishment
attitude and gives voice to concerns on issues like immigration the Bild-Zeitung is assumed to serve as a substitute for populist parties (Perger & Hamann,
2004). Correspondingly, the coverage of the Bild-Zeitung was shown to contain central elements of a populist rhetoric such as homogeneity (e.g., address‑
ing its recipients as we-group, taking a national perspective), an anti-elite attitude (e.g., proclaiming a gap between the political elite and citizens) and
exclusion (e.g., devaluing certain groups; Diehl, 2011; Klein, 2000; Jagers &Walgrave, 2007; Reinemann, 2007). Moreover, there is evidence on the Bild-Zei‑
tung’s role as political actor taking unified, purposive action that is aimed at reaching political goals (Boenisch, 2007; Page, 1996). However, it still remains
unclear if recipients perceive the Bild-Zeitung as (populist) political actor and as representative of their interests. Also, there are hints that the coverage
of the Bild-Zeitung negatively affects attitudes regarding elites and outgroups. Hence, perceiving the Bild-Zeitung as (populist) political actor and repre‑
sentative might also influence recipients’ trust in institutions (Brichta, 2010; Habicht, 2004; Tsfati & Cohen, 2005). In this study, we first analyze to what
extent the Bild-Zeitung is perceived as populist actor, political actor and representative by both readers and non-readers. Second, we inquire into the effects
of these perceptions on trust in political parties, other news media and the Bild-Zeitung itself. To address those questions we conducted a quantitative on‑
line survey in October 2015. It was based on a sample of German citizens (n = 518; female: 36%; age: M = 39.54, SD = 16.53; readers of the Bild-Zeitung:
35%); central measures were generated in a pre-study using qualitative interviews (n = 8). First, results show that participants perceive the Bild-Zeitung
to a relatively limited extent as populist actor and representative, whereas the perception as political actor is stronger and more prevalent. Also, education
and media reflection affect these perceptions: Individuals with a higher education rather tend to see the Bild-Zeitung as political actor; the same holds true
for participants who reflected more on its political orientation. Individuals with a lower education, however, are more likely to perceive the Bild-Zeitung as
representative of their interests. Second, it becomes evident that participants who perceive the Bild-Zeitung as their representative are more likely to trust
populist or extreme right-wing parties such as the Alternative for Germany (AfD) or the National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD), whereas they rather
distrust established parties such as the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). Moreover readers of the Bild-Zeitung feeling represented by the Bild-Zei‑
tung have a rather high level of trust in the Bild-Zeitung itself; however, they lack trust in other news media.