In today’s high-choice media environment, normative functions of the public sphere are not only attributed to journalistic mass media but increasingly to non-journalistic or semi-journalistic alternative media. Satirical shows, for instance, which are distributed in TV and online, are frequently perceived as sources for political information and as opinion leaders about current issues. On social media, professional and amateur community members have launched news formats that constitute alternatives to TV newscasts. Both, satirical shows as well as online news formats combine principles of information and entertainment and they reach a rather young audience. This project analyzes in what way satirical shows and new online news formats address normative functions of the public sphere and what degree of information and orientation on politics can be taken from these programs. Therefore the role concepts of satirists and video creators as well as their role performance that becomes manifest in media content are analyzed. Role concepts are examined conducting qualitative interview studies and asking, for instance, for goals and motivations, production process and restrictions in the daily work. Regarding role performance, quantitative content analysis reveals to what extent satirical shows and online news formats address political issues, how they deepen political information, and how they provide orientation regarding political issues.

Staff

Dennis Lichtenstein (Contact)

Cooperation Partners

Dr. Martin Herbers (Zeppelin University)

Dr. Cordula Nitsch (Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf)

Anna Wagner, M.A. (University of Augsburg)

In the media

Deutschlandfunk.de, 10.06.2019

Taz.de, 02.02.2018

Detektor.fm, 26.01.2018

Meedia.at, 16.01.2018

Publications and Lectures

Articles and Book Chapters

  • Content Analysis in the Research Field of Satire. / Lichtenstein, Dennis; Nitsch, C; Oehmer-Pedrazzi, F (Herausgeber:in) et al.
    Standardisierte Inhaltsanalyse in der Kommunikationswissenschaft - Standardized Content Analysis in Communication Research [Ein Handbuch - A Handbook]. Wiesbaden: Springer, 2022. S. 277-286.
    WebsiteRISENWBIB
  • Jokers or journalists? A study of satirists’ motivations, role orientations, and understanding of satire. / Lichtenstein, D; Nitsch, C; Wagner, A.
    in: Journalism Studies, Jahrgang 22, 01.12.2021, S. 1756-1774.
    DOIRISENWBIB
  • Journalistic YouTubers and their role orientations, strategies, and professionalization tendencies. / Lichtenstein, D; Herbers, M; Bause, H.
    in: Journalism Studies, Jahrgang 22, Nr. 9, 01.12.2021, S. 1103-1122.
    DOIRISENWBIB
  • Journalistic YouTubers and Their Role Orientations, Strategies, and Professionalization Tendencies. / Lichtenstein, Dennis; Martin, R; Bause, Halina.
    in: Journalism Studies, Jahrgang n/a, 11.06.2021, S. n/a.
    DOIRISENWBIB
  • Framing of politics (Satirical Shows). / Lichtenstein, D; Nitsch, C; Zürich, Universität (Herausgeber:in).
    Database of Variables for Content Analysis. Zürich, 2021.
    DOIRISENWBIB
  • Evaluation of political actors (Satirical Shows). / Lichtenstein, D; Nitsch, C; Zürich, Universität (Herausgeber:in).
    Database of Variables for Content Analysis. Zürich, 2021.
    DOIRISENWBIB
  • Targets of jokes (Satirical Shows). / Lichtenstein, D; Nitsch, C; Zürich, Universität (Herausgeber:in).
    Database of Variables for Content Analysis. Zürich, 2021.
    DOIRISENWBIB
  • Scandalous criticism in the speakers' corner: Online and offline reactions to Rezo’s "The Destruction of the CDU" and Jan Böhmermann's #Neustart19. / Herbers, M; Lichtenstein, D; Haller, A (Herausgeber:in) et al.
    Scandalogy 3: Scandals in new media. Cham: Springer Nature, 2021. S. 25-43.
    WebsiteRISENWBIB
  • Rezension von Government communications in a digital age: A comparative study of online government communications in Germany and Great Britain, by K. Murphy. / Lichtenstein, D.
    in: Publizistik, Jahrgang 65, Nr. 3, 01.07.2020, S. 481–483.
    DOIRISENWBIB
  • Different shows, different stories: How German TV formats challenged the government’s framing of the Ukraine crisis. / Lichtenstein, Dennis; Koerth, Katharina.
    in: Media, War and Conflict, Jahrgang n/a, 01.01.2020, S. n/a.
    DOIRISENWBIB
  • Satirizing international crises: The depiction of the Ukraine, Greek debt and migration crisis in political satire shows. / Nitsch, Cordula; Lichtenstein, Dennis.
    in: Studies in Communication Sciences, Jahrgang 18, 31.12.2019, S. 85-103.
    WebsiteRISENWBIB
  • Political information on YouTube. An analysis of four political YouTube channels in Germany. / Lichtenstein, Dennis; Leprêtre, Laura (Herausgeber:in); Durin, Esther (Herausgeber:in).
    Innovative educational and media practices for an inclusive and participatory Europe. Brussels: Les Editions de l'IHECS, 2019. S. 25-45.
    RISENWBIB
  • Produktive Pointen: Wie Die Anstalt Politik verarbeitet. / Lichtenstein, Dennis; Nitsch, Cordula; Wagner, Anna et al.
    Die Rache des Mainstreams an sich selbst: 5 Jahre Die Anstalt. Frankfurt am Main: Westend, 2019. S. 276-283.
    RISENWBIB
  • Leuchttürme und Scheinriesen: Arbeitsbedingungen und Rollenselbstverständnis von Satiriker*innen in Deutschland. / Wagner, Anna; Lichtenstein, Dennis; Nitsch, Cordula.
    in: ComSoc Communicatio Socialis - Zeitschrift für Medienethik und Kommunikation in Religion und Gesellschaft, Jahrgang 54, Nr. 1, 15.10.2020, S. 1-20.
    RISENWBIB

Lectures

  • Gießen

    Politik mal anders – Politikdarstellungen in Satire und YouTube-Formaten

    Lichtenstein, D. (Speaker)

    27 Jun 2019

  • Washington, D.C.

    Who am I and what’s politics? Social political video creators' role concepts and their depiction of political issues

    Herbers, M. (Contributor), Lichtenstein, D. (Speaker) & Kamm, A.-K. (Contributor)

    25 May 2019

Popular Publications

  • „Die Partei: auf der Suche nach dem Sinn“: Interview mit dem Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland RND. / Lichtenstein, D.
    in: N/A, 14.09.2021.
    WebsiteRISENWBIB
  • „Wie sich Youtube-Journalismus und etablierte Medien sinnvoll ergänzen“: Interview mit der Nachrichtenagentur APA. / Lichtenstein, D.
    in: N/A, 08.06.2021.
    WebsiteRISENWBIB
  • Wie Journalismus auf YouTube funktioniert [Interview mit der ÖAW PR]. / Lichtenstein, D.
    in: N/A, 07.06.2021.
    WebsiteRISENWBIB
  • "Medien sind die ersten Adressaten von Terrorereignissen" [Interview mit der ÖAW PR]. / Lichtenstein, D.
    in: N/A, 20.11.2020.
    WebsiteRISENWBIB
  • YouTubing Europe:Transnational Communication and Identity Formation in a European Network. / Lichtenstein, Dennis.
    in: N/A, Jahrgang 2020, Nr. 22, 01.09.2020.
    WebsiteRISENWBIB
  • Satire als "Einstiegsdroge". / Nitsch, Cordula; Lichtenstein, Dennis.
    in: Die Weltwoche, 24.10.2019.
    WebsiteRISENWBIB

Popular Talks

  • N/A

    Was kann Satire? [Interview mit Felix Meindorfer]

    Lichtenstein, D. (Speaker)

    25 Jun 2019

  • N/A

    Satire als neue Variante des Journalismus? [Interview mit Mirjam Kid]

    Lichtenstein, D. (Speaker)

    9 Jun 2019