Elite Interaction |
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| Authors: | Anders Olof Larsson Bente Kalsnes Christian Christensen |
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| Institution: | 1. Faculty of Management, Westerdals Oslo School of Arts, Communication and Technology, Norway;2. Department of Media and Communication, University of Oslo, Norway. E-mail: bente.kalsnes@media.uio.no;3. Department of Media Studies, Stockholm University, Sweden. E-mail: christian.christensen@ims.su.se |
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| Abstract: | While a good deal of research has examined the uses of Twitter in journalism, comparably few research projects employ comparative research designs in order to provide new insights. The present study details Twitter use by public service broadcasters (PSBs) during recent national elections in Norway and Sweden. Utilizing quantitative analysis of social media content in tandem with qualitative interviews with key PSB journalists, the main results indicate that while the PSB organizations—the Norwegian NRK and the Swedish SVT—are both frequently contacted by “regular” citizens on Twitter, they seem to prefer to retweet and interact with journalists, politicians or other “elite” users. Compared with the interviews performed, the study uncovers an interesting tension as journalists often talk about the need to engage with “regular” users—a practice that is arguably in line with PSB regulations, but that is seldom adhered to in the contexts studied here. |
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| Keywords: | comparative research elections Norway public service broadcasting Sweden Twitter |
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