Commentaar en discussie. Het sociologische nieuws van Gerritsen van der Hoop

Samenvatting

A comparison was made between the content of 3 Dutch newspapers, De Volkskrant, NRC-Handelsblad, & De Telegraaf, for one week. They were compared on: (1) the subjects dealt with, (2) the space devoted to headlines & pictures, as an indication of sensationalism, (3) the content of headlines, also as an indication of sensationalism, & (4) overt & hidden opinions in editorials, columns, & other articles. It was found that De Telegraaf is both a sensational newspaper & a 'fireside' newspaper; the NRC is strongly oriented toward foreign news; & De Volkskrant pays much attention to social problems & to all kinds of social protest--more than the other two papers it uses a conflict model of society. In Het sociologische nieuws van Gerritsen der Hoop, (The Sociological News from Gerritsen van der Hoop) N. A. Wilterdink argues that no information is given, since everybody already knows what differentiates those papers. He questions the existence of objective criteria for putting articles, etc, in one rather than another category & hence, questions the empirical basis for the study. Finally, he questions the sociological relevance of the problem. It is suggested that further research into the readership of the papers might be more valuable. In Repliek: de socioloog als mythe-jager (Reply: The Sociologist as Myth Hunter), W. Gerritsen van der Hoop states his intention to devote a further study to the motivations of those who publish the newspapers. Information is given as to the precise way in which the various categories used were operationalized. Further, that the information conveyed is what 'everybody knows' is in fact the case. Modified HA.