Differences in Television News Coverage; A Comparison of RTL aktuell and ARD Tagesschau (PDF)

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2006 in the subject Communications - Movies and Television, grade: 8 = A, Maastricht University (University College), course: Capstone, language: English, abstract: In a case study this paper investigates the differences in news coverage ofRTL aktuelland theTagesschau.These two news programs are broadcasted by two very different German television channels: the privately funded RTL and the publicly funded ARD. The findings of an in-depth analysis of both news broadcastings conducted over a period of one week, suggest the major differences to be 1) in the focus on certain news topics, in the reporting style in terms of 2) balance of opinions, 3) complexity of the issue presented and 4) type and way of language used, and finally 5) in the underlying tone or appeal to the audience.RTL aktuellfor example reports less political topics, in a less balanced and complex way. This might be due to a younger audience that is appealed to, and due to expectedly higher ratings, which are hoped to attract more advertisers. These findings suggest that the type of broadcasting system influences the news selection and presentation. Hence, it can be underlined how significant an independent public broadcasting system is for a democracy.