Page 89 - Comparing Political Communication Theories, Cases, and Challenge

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Comparing Mass Communication Systems

study, researching into political symbols used in the prestige press,
proceeds in this way [de Sola Pool 1970]). Here it is particularly im-
portant to be sensitive to differences in language and meaning (e.g.,
the word government in some countries has a broader meaning than
in others; correct translations have to relate to the specific context).
Furthermore,importantfeaturesmaybemissingaltogetherinother
countries. For example, those who want to include the yellow press
in their comparison of contents will find that in some countries it
is nonexistent or leads only a rudimentary existence.
Evaluation of Statistical Data: In a national context, comprehensive
sets of data are usually provided, containing similar terminology
that gives the impression that a comparison is an easy task. How-
ever, the figures have arisen under completely different conditions
and are only valid in context. An example: Figures on the use of
computers and the Internet are usually based on statistics of the
number of households equipped with these facilities. This makes
sense in industrialized countries where individual use dominates.
However, in other parts of the world, computers are often used col-
lectively (e.g., in Internet caf´ es). According to study and to point of
view, the number of Internet users in Latin America, for example,
varies by a factor of 3 (2.6 to 6.8 percent for 2001).
Audience Ratings and Readership Figures: This kind of material is

often available in great quantity, but applies to national systems with
different starting points. In the United States, for example, regional
TV ratings are researched in metropolitan areas; in Germany they
are mostly researched based on the area of the federal states.
Evaluation of Opinion Polls: Survey results are easy to compare, but
here too, particular conditions should be taken into consideration.
Inquiries into matters that can not be experienced in one’s own
country, can only be of limited value (e.g., to ask about majority
representation in a country that has proportional representation in
election laws).
Expert Interviews and Participant Observation: The systematic in-

quiry of people in positions of responsibility – for example, in
media or politics, and participant observation in decision-making
processes, in, for example, an editor’s office or a political party’s
campaign team – are often very valid and explicit sources of infor-
mation that are hard to gain access to. Foreigners to a country are
often met with mistrust and experience problems in their research
process.

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