Page 78 - The Professionalisation of Political Communication Chaning Media, Changing Europe Volume 3

Political Communication.qxd 12/7/06 7:30 pm Page 75
Political Communication.qxd 5/1/07 15:05 Page 77

PROFESSIONALISATION OF POLITICS IN GERMANY | 75

commercialisation of the media system. Over the years, more and more campaign tasks
have been given into the hands of outside marketing and polling experts but are still
decided and organised by campaigners who come from inside the parties and thus
have a political background,learning ‘on the job’in election campaigns.

Although the same conditions apply for day-to-day political communication, the
special features of the German political system prevent the marketing orientation to
take over in the same way as is visible in campaigns. The communication experts, who
are in charge of conveying politics to the media and the electorate, are part of the
political system and remain in the background.Their relationship with journalists in the
political communication subsystem is still very much characterised by cooperation for
mutual benefit. Only recently have researchers found some indications of the symbiotic
relationship coming to an end. Strangely enough, the growing distance between
communication officers and journalists is due to boundary-crossing by both sides:
Journalists feel under pressure by sophisticated strategies on the part of the political
actors – politicians themselves or their communication experts – and fear losing their
discretionary power and thus their credibility, while at the same time political actors are
under the impression of being forced onto the defensive by journalists, who are not
content with what is being offered to them or try to play with political power
themselves.

Therefore, professionalisation of politics in Germany could be said to proceed at two
speeds. When it comes to campaign communication, professionalisation has come far
and progresses quickly, but the process is more restrained where routine political
communication is concerned, because the constraints are more effective where politics
is made rather than just represented.

REFERENCES
Bergmann, K. & W. Wickert (1999) ‘Selected aspects of communication in German election
campaigns’, pp. 455–483 in B.I. Newman (ed) Handbook of Political Marketing. Thousand Oaks,
CA:Sage
Caspari, M., K. Schönbach, & E. Lauf (1999) ‘Bewertung politischer Akteure in Fernsehnachrichten’,
Media Perspektiven,pp.270–274.
Dalton, R. J. (2002) Citizen politics. Public opinion and political parties in advanced democracies.3rd
edn,New York:Chatham House.
Esser, F. (2003) ‘Wie die Medien ihre eigene Rolle und die der politischen Publicity im
Bundestagswahlkampf framen – Metaberichterstattung: ein neues Konzept im Test’, pp. Professionalisation of Politics in Germany
162–193 in C. Holtz-Bacha (ed.) Die Massenmedien im Wahlkampf. Die Bundestagswahl 2002.
Wiesbaden:Westdeutscher Verlag
Greger,V. (1998) ‘Privatisierung politischer Berichterstattung im Fernsehen? Zur Veränderung der
Akteursstruktur in politischen Informationssendungen von 1986 bis 1994’, pp. 251–282 in
K..Imhof & P. Schulz (eds.) Die Veröffentlichung des Privaten ? die Privatisierung des Öffentlichen.
Opladen:Westdeutscher Verl
Holtz-Bacha, C. (1999) ‘Mass media and elections: An impressive body of research’, pp. 39–68 in
H.-B.Brosius & C Holtz-Bacha (eds) German Communication Yearbook.Cresskill,NJ:Hampton 77