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Political Communication

Research group

Active research

Project owner

Department of Journalism, Media and Communication (JMG)

Area

Culture and

languages

Society and

economy

Topic

Media and

Communications

Short description

Political communication focuses on communication from and between political institutions and actors, media institutions and actors, and citizens, as well as on factors influencing or effects following from political communication.
Political communication research at JMG takes as its starting point the question of how politics are communicated and how that influences power and democracy. Our research is concerned with how political communication is organized and constructed in the context of social, discursive and mediated practices. We are studying political actors and elites, the media and how they cover politics, and citizens’ political behavior.

An important part of the research is about the interaction between media and citizens and how it affects people's knowledge, perceptions of reality and opinions.

Our research has a strong empirical orientation and is marked by theoretical and methodological pluralism.

Political communication as a research field focuses on communication flows and content from and between political institutions and actors, media institutions and actors, and citizens, as well as on factors influencing or effects following from political communication.

Some central themes in research on political communication

The media coverage of politics and election campaigns: who sets the agenda, is there any biases in the media coverage of politics, and what is the quality of political news.
Political conversations and political language in the media
Party campaign strategies, political ads and political rhetoric from a contemporary and historical perspective
The interaction between journalists, politicians, and citizens in debate programs, interviews, and social media
Different actors’ opinions on political communication and the democratic role of journalism
People’s media use and the media’s influence on citizens’ beliefs, knowledge and participation
Media effects on public opinion and the political agenda
The mediatization of politics and the media’s indirect and long-term influence on political and democratic processes.
How different social institutions adapt to the media and the logic of media
How politics is defined and the media’s role in processes of politicization and de-politicization
The significance of the media in political socialization and young people’s citizenship and social commitment