Instrumental Actualization: A Theory of Mediated Conflicts

Mediated conflicts are controversies between at least two parties who exchange information and arguments indirectly by the mass media. The discourse in mediated conflicts is influenced by its public character. By forwarding information and arguments to the media, conflict parties attempt to gain support from their constituencies and persuade their opponents. This raises the question of the role the media plays in selecting news about such conflicts. Events which support the position of either one of the protagonists in a conflict are called instrumental. The publication of information on these events is called instrumental actualization. It may be regarded as one of the major goals of the conflicting parties and one important activity of journalists. The relevance of instrumental actualization in news selection is analysed with a survey of 213 print and broadcast journalists, and a content analysis of their news reporting about the dispute concerning the 35-hour working week. The results indicate that instrumental actualization plays a significant role in mediated conflicts.