Politische Kommunikationskultur in Frankreich - Eine empirische Bestandsaufnahme in vergleichender Perspektive

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Barbara Pfetsch
• Subject Area: Communication Sciences
• Term: from 2008 to 2010
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 85378942

The research project focuses on the orientations that underpin the interaction of French politicians and journalists and the structural contexts that shape their milieu of interaction. For that purpose the institutions within which political communication takes place and the actor constellation will be analyzed. Most important is the empirical analysis of French political communication culture by means of standardized interviews of political elites, their spokespeople, journalists and editors of the most prestigious national media. Theoretically, the study draws on the concept of political communication culture (Pfetsch 2004) which dimensions and substantiates the set of orientations and provides indicators for their measurement. The study sets out for two aims: First, the empirical analysis of political communication culture enables to test for the existence of “connivance” in attitudinal patterns of the members of the political class and the media. Second, the French case is part of an encompassing comparative study at the European level which at the moment includes seven Western European countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland). The French case is for systematic reasons in terms of the research design essential for this European endeavour.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants