The press has become known as the “fourth state power”, due to its importance in the maintenance and further development of the democratic state in Western countries. Defended by the democratic theory as an essential part of a functioning democratic state, one of the main responsibilities of the press is to keep citizens informed about the developments in the country they inhabit. Despite this, media research has found evidence for press influence not only on the way people think about specific subjects, due to biased frames, but also its impact on the own opinion-forming of citizens. Considering its importance and that different political and economic actors have been observed trying to influence or control the media, press coverage has been the focus of different studies. The present chapter focuses on the relationship between the regional press coverage of the 2024 European elections and the voter turnout in different regions of the European Union. The study focuses on the significance of digital regional press coverage in this year’s election and attempts to establish whether the attention paid by regional media actors to the elections and its lack of objectivity had an impact on regional voter turnout. In order to assess this relationship, the study is based on a quantitative analysis of headlines published by regional digital media outlets one month before the first election day in the analysed regions. The analysis provides insights into the relationship between regional media and turnout in the European elections.

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The Power of the “Fourth State Power”: To What Extent Did Regional Press Coverage Influence Regional Voter Turnout in the 2024 European Elections?

  • Caio Ponce de Leon R. F.

摘要

The press has become known as the “fourth state power”, due to its importance in the maintenance and further development of the democratic state in Western countries. Defended by the democratic theory as an essential part of a functioning democratic state, one of the main responsibilities of the press is to keep citizens informed about the developments in the country they inhabit. Despite this, media research has found evidence for press influence not only on the way people think about specific subjects, due to biased frames, but also its impact on the own opinion-forming of citizens. Considering its importance and that different political and economic actors have been observed trying to influence or control the media, press coverage has been the focus of different studies. The present chapter focuses on the relationship between the regional press coverage of the 2024 European elections and the voter turnout in different regions of the European Union. The study focuses on the significance of digital regional press coverage in this year’s election and attempts to establish whether the attention paid by regional media actors to the elections and its lack of objectivity had an impact on regional voter turnout. In order to assess this relationship, the study is based on a quantitative analysis of headlines published by regional digital media outlets one month before the first election day in the analysed regions. The analysis provides insights into the relationship between regional media and turnout in the European elections.