Page 272 - Comparing Political Communication Theories, Cases, and Challenge

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Wolfgang Donsbach and Thomas Patterson

of attitude” (1994, 198). Yet, Western journalists operate in societies that
are not identical in their press histories and traditions and in their media
and political structures. These differences can be expected to produce
differences in the way that journalists see and do their jobs.
Generally, studies of journalism fall into two categories both of which
have a different objective with regard to the applicability and validity
of their findings and theories: In this context, scholars can either study
whether descriptions of the field yield universal characteristics of the
profession and its members, and whether universally applicable laws
determining journalists’ professional behavior can be identified by ex-
amining explanatory analyses. Or, scholars can try to define the specific
factors that shape the journalistic profession and influence professional
behavior in different countries, regions, media, and organizations. In-
deed, both approaches are sensible and have been amply explored, but
studies that claim to belong to the first category produce only results of
questionable merit if they have not been replicated in other countries.
To claim generalizability for one’sown findings is not possible until one
has been able to detect the same characteristics and behavioral patterns
in different journalistic cultures.
Studies belonging to the second category, in contrast, fail to fully ac-
complish their own objectives, for example, to trace the characteristics
or the “essence” of journalism in a particular country, as long as they
exclude the option of international comparison. Or to use a more collo-
quialexpression:inthecaseofthiskindofstudy,youneverknowwhether
the glass is half full or half empty. How relevant is it if a study concludes
that in a sample of news journalists x percent agreed with a specific role
conception, or that there is a correlation of y between one’s own opinion
and the news decisions one has made? Basically, the applicability of such
findings is limited because, considered in the absolute, the interpreta-
tion of a particular frequency or intensity within a statistical complex is
almost impossible. This can only be changed by comparing them with
the same parameters of similarly structured samples.
Considering this, one is astonished to find that most studies in jour-
nalism research manage without comparison or replication. The studies
of journalistic roles conducted by Jack McLeod (1964) and his team
constitute an exception to this. Originally, the work of these schol-
ars was theoretically grounded in the sociological concept of profes-
sionalism. As early as the 1960s, they applied the same survey in-
strument to journalists in different countries or stimulated follow-up
surveys. There are, moreover, studies of editorial control that are also

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