References to nationality in crime reporting: Effects on perceived news credibility and the moderating role of xenophobia
In many Western countries, right-wing populists have accused mainstream media of disguising criminals’ foreign origins for the sake of political correctness. To avert a loss in credibility among certain audience segments, an increasing number of news media have therefore made it their policy to alwa...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | deu |
| Published: |
Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG
2021-10-01
|
| Series: | Studies in Communication, Media |
| Online Access: | https://www.nomos-elibrary.de/10.5771/2192-4007-2021-3-307 |
| _version_ | 1797869306815447040 |
|---|---|
| author | Marlene Kunst |
| author_facet | Marlene Kunst |
| author_sort | Marlene Kunst |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In many Western countries, right-wing populists have accused mainstream media of disguising criminals’ foreign origins for the sake of political correctness. To avert a loss in credibility among certain audience segments, an increasing number of news media have therefore made it their policy to always report the nationality of perpetrators. Yet, whether references to nationality or the absence thereof affect credibility perceptions among audiences has not been empirically established. A between-subjects experimental study (N = 261) was conducted in Germany to fill this gap. The findings show that the effect of references to nationality on credibility perceptions depends substantially on news consumers’ pre-existing social attitudes. Among xenophobic participants, references to perpetrators as foreign citizens enhanced perceptions of media credibility; the opposite tended to be true for participants with low xenophobia. Practical implications for news practitioners and avenues for future research are discussed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T00:10:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fd9254ef10c2464ea78431171559a539 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2192-4007 |
| language | deu |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T00:10:34Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Studies in Communication, Media |
| spelling | doaj.art-fd9254ef10c2464ea78431171559a5392023-03-16T11:41:27ZdeuNomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KGStudies in Communication, Media2192-40072021-10-0110330732510.5771/2192-4007-2021-3-3071057712192400720213307References to nationality in crime reporting: Effects on perceived news credibility and the moderating role of xenophobiaMarlene KunstIn many Western countries, right-wing populists have accused mainstream media of disguising criminals’ foreign origins for the sake of political correctness. To avert a loss in credibility among certain audience segments, an increasing number of news media have therefore made it their policy to always report the nationality of perpetrators. Yet, whether references to nationality or the absence thereof affect credibility perceptions among audiences has not been empirically established. A between-subjects experimental study (N = 261) was conducted in Germany to fill this gap. The findings show that the effect of references to nationality on credibility perceptions depends substantially on news consumers’ pre-existing social attitudes. Among xenophobic participants, references to perpetrators as foreign citizens enhanced perceptions of media credibility; the opposite tended to be true for participants with low xenophobia. Practical implications for news practitioners and avenues for future research are discussed.https://www.nomos-elibrary.de/10.5771/2192-4007-2021-3-307 |
| spellingShingle | Marlene Kunst References to nationality in crime reporting: Effects on perceived news credibility and the moderating role of xenophobia Studies in Communication, Media |
| title | References to nationality in crime reporting: Effects on perceived news credibility and the moderating role of xenophobia |
| title_full | References to nationality in crime reporting: Effects on perceived news credibility and the moderating role of xenophobia |
| title_fullStr | References to nationality in crime reporting: Effects on perceived news credibility and the moderating role of xenophobia |
| title_full_unstemmed | References to nationality in crime reporting: Effects on perceived news credibility and the moderating role of xenophobia |
| title_short | References to nationality in crime reporting: Effects on perceived news credibility and the moderating role of xenophobia |
| title_sort | references to nationality in crime reporting effects on perceived news credibility and the moderating role of xenophobia |
| url | https://www.nomos-elibrary.de/10.5771/2192-4007-2021-3-307 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT marlenekunst referencestonationalityincrimereportingeffectsonperceivednewscredibilityandthemoderatingroleofxenophobia |