ABSTRACT
The form and content of election news coverage in Western democracies is influenced by four structural macro-level factors: the strength of political parties, the government regulation of the media sector, the ownership structure of media companies, and the political and journalistic culture. With regard to the first impact factor, Germany’s political structure is characterized by a stable multi-party system, covering a broad range of the political spectrum. Compared to the United States, party organizations are still strong and play a powerful role in the formation of governments, policy making, and the administration of campaigns. During election periods, they control which candidates are eventually selected and usually have the final word on political programs and the messages that should be conveyed to the public. Since German campaigns are fairly party-centered, election news is by implication more likely to be issue-focused and oriented to ideological goals.
