News Media Logic 2.0—Assessing Commercial News Media Logic in Cross-Temporal and Cross-Channel Analysis

Abstract

In this paper we, firstly, propose a conceptualization of (news) media logic (cf. Altheide & Snow in Media Logic. Beverly Hills, CA, SAGE, 1979; Mazzoleni in Mediatization of Politics. Understanding the Transformation of Western Democracies. Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, pp. 74–89, 2008; Esser in Democracy in the Age of Globalization and Mediatization. Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, pp. 155–176, 2013) as actor–structure dynamics in terms of Schimank (Handeln und Strukturen. Weinheim, Juventa 2010). This integral approach is based on the inseparable interplay of structures and actors that, in turn, is reflected in news media content. In this way, we use the concept of media logic as an analytical concept. Second, we present empirical findings from content analysis in print, online and tv news (N = 5607) demonstrating differences over time and between online and offline news content.