POLITISCHE KOMMUNIKATIONSKULTUR IM WANDEL.

The structures and processes that lead to political news reporting in the mass media are crucial for modern democracies. There has been continuous research concerning the interaction between politicians and journalists at both the national and subnational level, but long term comparisons are still lacking. In this paper we aim to compare survey data about the interactions and mutual perceptions of political and media elites from 1988 and 2008. Our goal was to detect changes and consistencies concerning the role models and social cohesion of these elite groups. The study draws on the theoretical concept of political communication cultures, addressing the empirically observable orientations, norms and values of politicians and journalists that guide their interactions. Findings indicate a shift from a rather informal culture of mutual give and take to a rather formal culture of distinct functional responsibilities. While politicians allow proximity to occur, journalists increasingly assert their professional autonomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]