Abstract
In a representative democracy the public has to be convinced that the priorities set in the public sector are based on the public’s attitudes. Alternatively, the public may be persuaded of the priorities set in the public sector. In either case the media play an important role in the transmission of political priorities to the mass public. The time spent on media consumption has increased steadily. Modern election campaigns are directed primarily at the mass media. Politicians use the media to tell voters that they are ‘on their side’. They launch campaigns to incite the media to inform the voters that issues they address deserve the public’s attention. It might be said that politicians also use the media to address ‘ghost’ issues only remotely related to policy issues, or to present politicians as versatile show business stars whose competence at winning the political horserace is self-evident. Ultimately, however, it is journalists, not politicians, who shape the news. Professional news values and news formats, as well as elusive media hypes, determine the news.
Dirk Oegema is the third participant in the research project on which this chapter rests. His stimulating comments on this chapter, as well as the stimulating comments of dr. W. Kuiper, prof. C. van der Eijk and the editors of this book are gratefully acknowledged. Many of their suggestions must wait until further research, however. Drs. H.J. Bos, drs. S. van Hoorn, drs. G.J. van Dijk and drs. M.P. de Zwart contributed much to the content analysis part of the project. The authors would like to express their gratitude to drs. J.H. Faasse of The Media Partnership and to drs. G. Schild of NIPO BV who kindly made the weekly data with respect to media use and respondents’ political preferences in weekly polls available to us. We would like to thank the editors of KRO radio news and KRO breakfast television, since the required preparations of our weekly presentations of analyses of the latest news contributed much to the theory developed here.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Anker, H. and Oppenhuis, E.V. (1995) Dutch Parliamentary Election Study 1994. Amsterdam, Steinmetz Archive/SWIDOC/SKON.
Ansolabehere, S., Behr, R. and Iyengar, S. (1991) Mass media and elections: an overview, American Politics Quarterly 19, 109–139.
Budge, I. and Farlie, D.J. (1983) Explaining and predicting elections. London, Allen and Unwin.
Cuilenburg, J.J. van, Kleinnijenhuis, J. and Ridder, J.A. de (1986) Towards a graph theory of journalistic texts, European Journal of Communication 1, 65–96.
Cuilenburg, J.J. van, Kleinnijenhuis, J. and Ridder, J.A. de (1988) Artificial intelligence and content analysis, Quality and Quantity, 22, 65–97.
Downs, A. (1957) An economic theory of democracy. New York, Harper & Row.
Eijk, C. van der and Niemöller, B. (1983) Electoral change in the Netherlands. Amsterdam, CT Press.
Finkel, S.E. (1993) Reexamining the ‘minimal effects’ model in recent presidential campaigns, The Journal of Politics 55,1–21.
Fiske, S.T., Kinder, D.R. and Larter, W.M. (1983) The novice and the expert: knowledge based strategies in political cognition, Journal of Eperimental Social Psychology 19, 381–400.
Hastie, R. (1986) A primer of information-processing for the political scientist. In R.R. Lau and D.O. Scorrs Political Cognition.
Hinich, M.J. and P.C. Ordeshook (1970). Plurality maximization vs vote maximization: a spatial analysis with variable participation. American Political Science Review 64: 772–791.
Iyengar, S. and Kinder D.R. (1987) News that matters. Chicago, University of Chicago Press.
Klapper, J.T. (1960) The effects of mass communication. New York, Free Press.
Kleinnijenhuis, J. and Rietberg, E.M. (1991; 1993) Codeerinstructie politiek-economische teksten; Aanvullende codeerinstructie verkiezingscampagne 1994. Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit, department of Political Science and Public Administration.
Kleinnijenhuis, J. and Rietberg, E.M. (1995) Parties, media, the public and the economy: patterns of societal agenda-setting, European Journal of Political Research 28, 95–118.
Kleinnijenhuis, J. and Ridder, J.A. de (forthcomng) Issue news and electoral volatility: a comparative analysis of media effects during the 1994 election campaigns in Germany and the Netherlands, European Journal of Political Research.
Kosicki, G.M. (1993) Problems and opportunities in agenda-setting research. Journal of Communication 43(2), 100–127.
Krosnick, J.A. and Kinder, D.R. (1990) Altering the foundations of support for the President through priming, American Political Science Review 84, 497–512.
Laver, M. and Hunt, W.B. (1992) Policy and Party Competition. New York/London, Routledge.
Lijphart, A. (1968) Verzuiling, Pacificatie en kentering in de Nederlandse politiek. Amsterdam, J.H. de Bussy.
Maddala, G.S. (1989) Introduction to econometrics. New York, MacMillan.
McGuire, W.J. (1989) Theoretical foundations of campaigns. In R.E. Rice and CK. Atkins Public communication campaigns. London, Sage.
McCombs, M.E. and Shaw, D.L. (1972) The agenda-setting function of mass media, Public Opinion Quarterly 36, 176–187.
Page, B.I. and Jones, C.C. (1979) Reciprocal effects of policy preferences, party loyalties, and the vote, American Political Science Review 77, 175–190.
Perloff, R.M. (1993). The dynamics of persuasion. Hillsdale NJ: Erlbaum.
Petty, R.E., and Cacioppo, J.T. (1981) Attitudes and persuasion: Classic and contemporary approaches. Dubuque, IA: Wm. Brown.
Petrocik, J.R. (1996) Issue ownership in Presidential Elections, with a 1980 case study. American Journal of Political Science 40: 825–850.
Rabinowitz, G. and Macdonald, S.E. (1989) A directional theory of issue voting, American Political Science Review 83, 93–122.
Ridder, J.A. de 1994a. Van tekst naar informatie. Amsterdam: Universiteit van Amsterdam (dissertation).
Ridder, J.A. de 1994b. CETA2 reference manual. Groningen: ProGamma.
Rogers, E.M. and Dealing, J.W. (1988) Agenda-setting research: where has it been, where is it going? In J. Anderson (ed.), Communication Yearbook 11, 555–594. Newbury Park/London, Sage.
Romein, J. and A. Romein, A. (1973 (1934)) De lage landen bij de zee. Amsterdam, Querido.
Zaller, J.R. (1992) The nature and origins of mass opinion. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1997 Kluwer Academic Publishers
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Kleinnijenhuis, J., De Ridder, J.A. (1997). Effects of Issue Priorities in the News on Voting Preferences; The 1994 Election Campaign in the Netherlands. In: Boorsma, P.B., Aarts, K., Steenge, A.E. (eds) Public Priority Setting: Rules and Costs. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1487-2_15
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1487-2_15
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-010-7165-9
Online ISBN: 978-94-009-1487-2
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive