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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Between Usefulness and Legitimacy

subject

description

We argue that during the financial crisis, economic news served as a dominant source of information for the public and as an influential factor in legitimating economic policy. We analyze (1) how German news broadcasts treated governmental intervention during the crisis and (2) selected effects on public opinion. Drawing on results from a content analysis of television news broadcasts ( n = 980), we show that governmental intervention was covered substantially, focusing on fiscal measures. To investigate possible effects of the news coverage, we conducted an online experiment with subjects differing in their degree of involvement with the consequences of the crisis ( n = 293). A news article treating governmental debt guarantees within a supportive frame induced subjects to approve of governmental intervention, as contrasted with an adverse version of the article. However, the effects of the media coverage were partially moderated by subjects’ involvement.